Dark Lord Minion
by elektra30
Summary: When the Dark Lord searches for a credible minion in Hogwarts, the chosen one does not comply. A series of punishments from the Dark Lord ensues, and only a girl with shaggy brown curls could save the chosen minion's life...will sparks occur? R&R! [DMHG]
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer:** Harry Potter is owned by J.K.Rowling - this is merely a fanfiction, not to be taken seriously.

**Author's Note: **This is my first attempt at writing fanfiction. I'm a fan of DMHG, but I prefer drama and action than the usual stuff written for relationships. You get what I mean, I hope. So if you're hoping for those lemony stuff, I don't think I can offer that.

Please review! Thanks :)

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    The wind howled tremendously around the building, causing the occupants to quiver with fear. The building itself was a sorry sight, with the whitewash peeling off in large patches and the roof tiles grubby and falling apart. The gloomy night was one torturous nightmare – the thin willow branches swayed precariously and there were occasional cracks which sent twigs hurtling across the road and the sound of shattered glass and terrified screams were eminent throughout. No longer were there stars shining brightly in the night sky – everything was in turmoil and there were car screeches almost every minute and a terrific BANG following after. The birds flew away in shock, hiding in their nests to avoid the beginnings of a terrible storm.

    In one of the rooms of the old building was an eerie glow.

    "My Lord, please, I didn't mean to..." the pitiful whimpering was heartrending, but it merely induced the Dark Lord to snort most vehemently.

    "You didn't mean to, everyone didn't mean, no one ever MEANS to!" He snarled, whirling around on his seat, two yellowish-red eyes gleaming from a shadowed hood, boring like gimlets into the poor man's eyes. "And no one ever means to get the job done for me!"

    "My Lord, it wasn't my fault, it was...it was..." then the man's eyes suddenly lost its pleading expression and immediately donned an enlightened look. "It was _Dumbledore_...he did _everything_...it's all _his _fault..."

    The Dark Lord remained rigid for a while, before his creased hand gripped the couch edge so tightly that part of it was nearly ripped off. "Dumbledore..."

    "Yes, my Lord, Dumbledore! He is responsible for everything, he thwarted your plans to get rid of Har -"

    "You do not mention my plans explicitly!!" roared the Dark Lord in a sudden fit of rage that sent the man reeling backwards from the force of the words. The room was lighted up further with a flash of lightning and a crash of thunder made the petrified man jump. Then scattering raindrops could be heard outside, intensifying into a traumatising storm which made the wind howl even more ferociously. After a while, the Dark Lord turned towards the glowing fireplace and sniggered sinisterly. "I have had enough of your bumbling ways, minion! I will find another worthy follower - it is time."

    The man's eyes widened with unbelievable horror. "Time? No, NO, my Lord, haven't I explained? Why do you need someone else when I am your most faithful servant? It was all Dumbledore's fault, it was all his work, I have been faithful, haven't I my Lord, very, oh please my Lord don't, don't do this to me..."

    The Dark Lord snarled and turned around instantly. "Useless fools like you can't even get into the grounds of Hogwarts! What use do you have compared to if I get someone from within the walls of that cursed school?!!"

    Then he raised his wand. Another flash of lightning. BOOM -

    "NOOOO!!!"

    "AVADA KEDAVRA!"


	2. In the Library

**Disclaimer: **The true owner of Harry Potter is J.K.Rowling, not me. 

_EMBER91:_ _Thanks for reviewing! I'm glad you think it's cool. I love Animorphs too - I'll watch out when your fic comes out!_

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        "Get out."

        The curt voice was unmistakeable, all of it dripping pure contempt. Hermione Granger rolled her eyes as she put her book down to glare at the sudden appearance of someone with slicked silver-blond hair. "Excuse me, but I think I sat here _first_."

        "Excuse me," Draco Malfoy imitated her high-pitched voice filled with indignation. "But I think I am a _Malfoy_."

        Hermione couldn't believe her ears. It was barely one week into the new school term and here was Draco Malfoy trying to act pompous and annoyingly sarcastic. _In the library_, of all places, where she believed peace would actually reign. It looked like this time Hermione's instinct wasn't exactly in place. She gave a click of exasperation. "I don't care if you're a Malfoy or a Weasley or a Brown or a Parkinson, as long as I sat here first, it gives you absolutely NO reason for you to chase me out. There're plenty of seats around, you don't have to irk me."

        She tried to put it very calmly to him, but he merely chuckled and leant back, putting on an air of superiority. He was just out to annoy her! And he was enjoying it too. Hermione wondered why Draco Malfoy had so much time on hand to irritate somebody whom he had always looked down upon. She rolled her eyes again, then reverted her attention back to her book.

        Draco Malfoy eyed his nemesis' good friend with a watchful look. He didn't treat her as his nemesis, in fact he was actually quite in awe of her on account of her intelligence. This he would never openly admit, for he believed his blood was more superior and it would do his reputation no good to actually submit to the intelligence of a _Mudblood_. He snorted inwardly. It was a pity she was in Gryffindor, that most repulsive house, and the good friend of that Scarface Potter and Carrots Weasley. But thinking back on the punch she threw at him most vehemently in their third year, he could feel himself boiling all over again – _in awe?_ He chortled sarcastically to himself. _I must be kidding myself._

        He was being very bored since the morning because he had long finished his homework (as so did Granger) and the Slytherin room was just congested with ruddy first-years and absolutely revolting girls comparing the latest fashion styles and also the latest dark magic transformations. The only way out was to go to somewhere where he could actually find a bit of peace – he had actually planned to look up on some Dark Magic History in the library; it was by coincidence the Mudblood was here.

        He fingered his Slytherin cloak thoughtfully. He had a bad dream last night – oh yes, one very bad one. He had heard the Dark Lord's voice, or so he thought, commanding a man to do his bidding and finishing him off when it was not accomplished. Somehow Draco Malfoy's head ached at the very thought of recalling the dream. Or nightmare, in this case. It was somewhat worrying to think that he had heard the sinister voice and the cutting vocabulary that accompanied it. But what worried him the most was that he had caught the word "Hogwarts" in the midst of the angry words the Dark Lord had delivered to his minion. So he wanted to find out what connection the school had with dark magic in the past. Perhaps he could uncover something in his dream. After all, Father always told him that dreams had connections to reality, however subtle they were.

        And Mudblood Granger was just nicely sitting in the library. It would be really fun to annoy her a little. But Draco pursed up his lips repressedly. This would not do. This was too immature for a Malfoy – he ought to be doing his work. So he got up to browse the shelves, ignoring the scowl Granger was offering to him at the corner of her book.

        As she watched him get out to look around, she couldn't help scowling at him. There wasn't peace whenever Draco Malfoy was around! And there were rumours going around Hogwarts that this was the Slytherin heir and he was going to become a Death Eater. Hermione shuddered upon that thought. She never really expected anyone in Hogwarts to become a Death Eater, but it seemed very possible when the person was Draco Malfoy. No one could fit the bill by being more scheming, more annoying, more crafty and more sadistic. Somehow, Hermione felt a little tinge of sadness for the blond boy, even though she knew she would regret that feeling later. He was going to be drawn into the Dark side and suffer the consequences there. No one really successfully completed a job for the Dark Lord and remained alive for all his life. Once they grew old, the Dark Lord would just finish them off, much less if they were incompetent. But she knew as well that it would be a choice on Malfoy's part, so why should she be feeling sad for someone who chose his own path willingly and determinedly?

        Hermione shook her head in disgust, got up to return her book, and left the library to watch Harry and Ron in action for Gryffindor Quidditch practice.

        How wrong she would turn out to be.


	3. Silver Greenhead

**Disclaimer:** I would love to write a book some day about Draco Malfoy, but unfortunately the protagonist of this series Harry Potter does not belong to me, and sadly neither does his Hogwarts nemesis. They all belong to J.K.Rowling only.

_american-born-confused-desi: Thank you for your review! Hope you continue to like it :)_

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         "Blimey, what's wrong with you, Harry? It's that ruddy _cat_ that's being insane, not Mickey!"

        Harry shrugged his shoulders and grinned. They had just finished Quidditch practice and the moment Harry had come out of the shower, there was the usual bickering between his two good friends over their pets. He hadn't said anything after Hermione's accusation that Ron was ill-treating Crookshanks, merely raising an eyebrow – leading to Ron's immediate hasty generalisation. Hermione gave a groan. "And blimey you, who names his pet rat _Mickey_ like he's been watching cartoons his _whole_ life? And Crookshanks has done absolutely _nothing_ to your rat, he's only been playing with string, it's just that cats aren't that good at seeing things, he probably mistook your rat's tail for a string."

        "And you said Crookshanks did _nothing_?! What's your perception of things eh? And what the hell are cartoons?!" Ron was fast becoming the colour of his flaming red hair. Harry choked back a laugh.

        Hermione rolled her eyes and put her hands on her hips. "You're the son of a Minister who works in the Muggle Artefacts department, who's crazy over Muggle things and yet you don't know what cartoons are?"

        "Do I look like I involve myself in Muggle things? Well yes, maybe, but not stupid things like cartoons! What are they?!"

        Harry and Hermione exchanged looks, then suddenly burst out into incredible bouts of laughter. "Oh no..." Hermione held her sides, tears of mirth running down her cheeks, gasping. "I...I think he looks like...he looks like Daffy Duck, tongue sticking out and spitting all over with that big mouth of his..." Harry roared with laughter at that image – he had often sneaked into Dudley's room to watch cartoons when he was younger – so he was fully aware of cartoons all right. Unlike Ron, who was turning purple this time because he had no idea what the two were laughing so ridiculously about and that made him really mad.

        "I swear – I..."

        What Ron swore nobody ever knew because at that moment, the Gryffindor common room door was flung open violently by a very, very furious Naomi Whittington. Naomi was the newest Captain for Gryffindor Quidditch, given the position after Angelina Johnson had completed her seventh and final year in Hogwarts. There were no capable sixth years in the Gryffindor Quidditch team the previous year during Angelina's leadership because those who were covering for the banned Fred & George Weasley, as well as Harry, were in fact, rather incompetent, only Ginny Weasley proving her mettle as a Seeker. Naomi had never really wanted to try out for Quidditch, but it was only last year when Angelina launched a plea for interested Chasers that she tried out and showed marvellous skill in her broom manoeuvring.

        It turned out Naomi Whittington had exactly the same hot temper Angelina Johnson had.

        "I don't KNOW what the school is thinking about!!"

        There were a few first years in the common room who immediately dispersed when they heard the loud voice of Naomi's. Hermione rolled her eyes again while Ron and Harry exchanged perplexed looks.

        "I swear it's those Slytherins' work!" huffed and puffed Naomi. "They must have been complaining to the school authorities unnecessarily and landing us in predicaments that they themselves would have struggled big time if they were _stuck_ in them!"

        Hermione raised her eyebrows. "I think I don't really have to be here," but Harry motioned for her to stay. Hermione just sighed and plopped back onto the couch. Ron went a little red. "Now Naomi, if you don't explain what just happened, nothing you're saying now is going to make sense."

        Naomi turned her blazing eyes towards Ron. "Explain? What's there to explain? I explained a whole lot of rubbish to Dumbledore and McGonagall and they seemed to have nothing left to defend us any more! What happened to the upright nature of Gryffindor? Just gonna be smashed to pieces just because some tell-tale silver greenhead whacked us off?"

        Then she stormed off towards the girls' dormitories, muttering a string of curses.

        "Silver greenhead?" Harry frowned. "Sounds like some old friend of ours."

        Ron turned purple again. "That ferret-face..." and punched the air imaginarily. "I'd just like to know what he's done to our team and I swear I'll get him for it!"

        Hermione remained silent as Harry's eyebrows knotted together heavily. It seemed just a while ago since that particular "silver greenhead" had been in the library annoying her immensely and being a nuisance. If only he was still there...

           "And can someone tell me what the hell cartoons are?!!"


	4. Confrontation

**Disclaimer:** No one in here truly belongs to me - except maybe Naomi Whittington. The rest belong to Ms J.K.Rowling.

**Author's Note:** The action hasn't started - things must build up first, eh? Hermione and Draco have always been enemies, let them be for a while, things may change a little over the course of time. By the way, the "Tab" doesn't seem to work on this chapter, so apologies if it looks odd. (paragraphing)

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Hermione Granger made her way to the library and stepped inside, only to realise that there seemed to be no soul there anymore. Not even the librarian. Yet the library was still open – and usually at this time, there would be people here looking through books to get ready for upcoming lessons. It was a stark contrast to the earlier buzzing that she was experiencing a few hours ago. The silence was so deafening she assumed Draco Malfoy must have long left. But when she turned to leave, she heard a soft voice that was filled with slyness call out, "Granger." 

Hermione rubbed her ears absentmindedly. "Who's there?"

"The High-and-Mighty _Mudblood_ cannot even recognise my voice. What a pity."

"Draco Malfoy, where are you and what have you done?" Hermione gritted her teeth as she walked into the library further, advancing towards the voice she had heard somewhere behind the bookshelves.

"Nothing. I just reserved the entire library for myself. It's getting too noisy in here."

Hermione looked extremely disgusted. "You're flaunting your authority again," and she found him at the seats behind the bookshelves, looking like he owned the entire place.

"Why do you care?" Draco asked nonchalantly as he leant back against the chair, eyes still on his book. Hermione ignored his question and focused on the book he was holding. _Quidditch Through The Ages, Volume 2_. "There is a new version? How come I never heard Ron mention about it?"

"Dumb people don't talk. Pun intended."

"Draco Malfoy! Don't you insult my friends!" Hermione was becoming very incensed. "What exactly did you do to the Gryffindor Quidditch team? Naomi was so..."

"So what?" Draco Malfoy's tone was dangerous, but his eyes were still fixated on his book.

In a fit of anger towards his complete nonchalance, Hermione strided forward and snatched away his book. Malfoy looked up, his eyes flaming with hatred, but he said nothing, merely holding out his hand with a smirk plastered on his face. Then Hermione leant forward, glaring at him angrily. "Now tell me what you did to the Gryffindor Quidditch team or I swear I won't let you off," and as she said that, her right hand reached into her cloak pocket for her wand.

"I merely did them a favour by noting a little error committed by the Gryffindor captain," said Draco, airily, as he withdrew his hand. "She was breaking a little Quidditch practice rule that you mustn't eat anything on the pitch while practising."

"Naomi has been given permission to chew gum on the pitch because her jaw is stiff! Medical conditions are exceptions!" Hermione cried furiously. Draco Malfoy merely chuckled as he savoured his next few words."She can always use that excuse as and when she likes; _nobody knows what else she can do_."

Hermione's eyes suddenly flared up. "Which teacher did you bring this up to?"

"Who would believe me completely?" Draco Malfoy smirked, as he snatched back his book from a dumbfounded Hermione. "And he kindly offered them a month's break from practice till their captain could learn how to follow rules accordingly and not them twist them to her favour – oh!" He gave an evil laugh. "And also to rest her jaw a bit so by the time she gets back on the pitch, there wouldn't be a reason for her to be chewing gum there."

"You're the biggest git on earth!" Hermione couldn't believe her ears. "One month! I'm going to complain to Professor McGonagall! The Gryffindor team can't survive one month's ban of the pitch!"

"No use, Mudblood. Professor Snape has been placed in charge of all Quidditch practice considering your dearest Professor McGonagall has been appointed to take charge of internal matters more securely." Draco sneered, as he got out of his chair, leaving the book on the table. Then he whipped out his wand and pointed it at Hermione's face. Hermione didn't flinch. "And so," laughed Draco. "No one can do anything about it, especially," and he put the wand under Hermione's chin such that the girl had no choice but to tilt her head up to avoid it poking her throat. "Potter."

The last word was spat out with such contempt that Hermione felt the usual rage boiling in her even more fiercely. "Mark my words, Malfoy, you'll get your payback soon enough."

"What can you do when you're a mere Mudblood?" Draco smirked. And then he withdrew his wand, grabbed the book on the table, swung his cloak, and strided out of the library, leaving Hermione Granger inside feeling rather empty.


	5. Transfiguration

**Disclaimer: **All characters but Naomi belong to J.K.Rowling (quite sadly), not me.

_slytherin-kittycat: I say, thanks for reviewing! I'm glad you've liked it so far. The prologue was my personal favourite too. I think keeping characters in hand is very important to tighten the plot and not let it spill too much. Update your fic - I'll be reading it soon!_

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There was a nagging urge to rush out of the library to find Harry and Ron and blurt out the whole horrid truth to them – that Draco Malfoy made use of a stupid, silly reason to get the Gryffindors a totally senseless month's ban from the Quidditch pitch. Tell them what made Naomi Whittington so furious and irk them enough to send them running after Malfoy along the corridors and hexing him repeatedly. After all, Harry's Defence Against the Dark Arts was quite excellent – though Draco himself could have enough skill in Dark Magic to defend himself.

Hermione mentally slapped herself as she stood stock still in the middle of the library. (This time, silence reigned all right) What was she thinking? She would end up sending Harry and Ron straight to the Headmaster's Office for hexing fellow students along the corridor and even if Draco defended in Dark Magic, his offence would be smaller because he didn't provoke the fight (not directly) and Snape would defend his student's appeal for the ban and basically, because he was a _Malfoy_.

But something was nagging in Hermione's mind. It wasn't really all these reasons; underneath it all, she knew that for some obscure reason, she didn't want to tell on Malfoy.

"You know what," whispered Ron, during Transfiguration lesson whereby Professor McGonagall had asked them to Contort a squarish acryllic piece into a beautiful piece of artwork. "Naomi isn't telling us what got our Quidditch team into this mess. But I bet a hundred Galleons it's that ferret face's good work."

"But a month's ban!" Harry was livid when he had heard the news, and his anger had not diminished since. He tried in vain to melt his acryllic piece so that it would be bendable. "The school's gone insane!"

"Oh for heaven's sake, focus on your acryllic Harry!" Hermione was annoyed they never got off the topic of the ban, for which she felt sorry about, but didn't want to delve into it any further for fear the boys would do something to Draco Malfoy if they knew the whole truth. She tapped her acryllic piece with her wand gently – and POOF! – the bluish transparent square piece began to liquefy a bit before arching itself into a lovely flower shape. Harry and Ron stared at her "artwork", flabbergasted.

"Hermione Granger, you're a…"

"Miss Granger, that was lovely," said Professor McGonagall, looking approvingly at Hermione's blue acryllic flower. "Ten points to Gryffindor. Five to the next person who does it as smoothly as Miss Granger, or even better."

That sparked a heavy murmur in the class as everyone tried in vain to copy Hermione. The Hufflepuffs present were not as quick as Hermione, but finally Susan Bones got down to making her acryllic look somewhat like a curly strip. Since nobody else in the class could succesfully contort their acryllic piece _at all_, Professor McGonagall sighed and gave Hufflepuff the five points. That certainly, however, could not rival the skill of Hermione Granger. In fact, only one other student could do it as neatly as Hermione, thought Professor McGonagall as she strided up to the front of the class. With no surprise, Draco Malfoy had calmly changed his green acryllic square piece into a Christmas tree-like ornament before showing off by changing it again into a coiled snake with a proudly arched head. Now Hermione sat at her desk, absent-mindedly changing hers into a cube, then a pyramid, then tapping it again to revert it to its original shape. Professor McGonagall cocked her eyebrow at that, before continuing with the next spell.

"Honestly," Ron muttered, as they came out of the classroom when the bell rang shrilly. "I don't think I'll be able to pass Transfiguration NEWTs if I can't even tap a stupid square and tell it to change into a triangle!"

"You don't _talk_ to the piece, you cast magic on it," retorted Hermione, rolling her eyes. Then she nearly stopped in her tracks, for Draco Malfoy had exited from the adjacent classroom down the corridor and was walking smugly towards them, his eyes gleaming with suppressed mockery. "So Potter and the Weasel can't seem to Transfigure their squares, it seems. How…_shocking_." He emphasised greatly on the last word, smirking as he did. Hermione eyed him with great distaste, but he calmly ignored it.

"You think you're so great huh? Getting us Gryffindors into trouble with goodness-knows-what tactic and making us lose our practice for Quidditch eh?" Ron was turning his usual purple, but Hermione bit her lip as soon as he said that, for Draco Malfoy's focus suddenly switched towards the bushy-haired girl, who was looking everywhere but at his eyes. "You didn't tell them?"

Hermione felt herself grow hot, as Harry and Ron looked rather bewilderedly at each other before throwing that same expression to Hermione. "What?"

"Ask your good friend," replied Draco, looking rather queerly at Hermione, though he couldn't suppress a smirk. "She knows it all. You'll hate to know the truth because it's just so stupid, but good enough to do you Gryffindors in. Tell them, tell them what I've done, _Mudblood_."

Hermione felt her eyes smart as she raised her head to Draco Malfoy, rage burning in her heart. She had been kind enough not to spill the beans on him, and yet he was egging her on to be humiliated in front of her own friends. That she was hiding the truth from them just to be kind for once to a Slytherin. And the Slytherin heir, to be exact. Malfoy lost the smirk on his face as he blinked twice at Hermione before walking past her, leaving her to be surrounded immediately by Harry and Ron, who were bombarding her with questions she didn't know how to answer. Suddenly, Hermione didn't want to talk to them at all, and she just burst through the duo and ran all the way to the Gryffindor commonroom.

Draco Malfoy turned his head to watch her run away from the astonished Harry and Ron. Somehow there was an unknown queasiness in him as he saw how she avoided her friends, not telling them the truth he had so proudly announced to her. He didn't listen to the annoying chatter of Goyle and Crabbe, merely walking on to the Slytherin common room, turning his thoughts from a Gryffindor mudblood to the voices in his dream that were somewhat haunting and yet revealing…


	6. And I Won't Either

**Disclaimer: **Harry Potter & Co. belong to J.K.Rowling, not me.

**Author's Note: **I don't think I'm very successful in garnering reviews, but I hope that once this entire story is finished, it will be a satisfactory one. I admit the gum plot is quite ridiculous, that's why I keep emphasising on how the whole issue is "stupid", but the real plot is not yet here - though it has begun ...

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I will find myself a minion… 

a minion who can do what I want…

within the grounds of Hogwarts…

a faithful one…

who will do my bidding…

if I _make him do my bidding_…

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Draco shot up straight in bed, beads of perspiration forming strands on his pale face as the moonlight streamed into the Slytherin boys' dormitory. Draco's cold fingers clutched at his bedspread, the harsh words echoing in his mind like a tape recorder. It was so…so real. The words…they seemed to have a magnetic effect – he was being drawn to the voice. It wasn't lulling – no, far from it. It was filled with dread and evil and melancholy. But it was a powerful force. Draco felt a shiver run down his spine.

Could it be that the darkness had awoken once again?

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The bell rung shrilly and the students shuffled lazily to their next classroom. Harry was in a rather bad temper because Hermione had spent the whole night shut in the girls' dormitory without a word, not even caring to explain what had inexplicably caused the Gryffindor team to be banned from the Quidditch pitch when she knew how much this meant to him. Guaranteed, the reason sounded really stupid according to Draco, but he needed to know what was wrong so he could try and sort things out. But his best friend _would not budge_. Harry was beginning to wonder how much power Draco had over Hermione to shut her up and twist her around his fingers. But right now, Harry was past thinking rationally and scowled all the way to the next class.

Hermione saw this, of course, but she remained tight-lipped.

Ron was in an even worse temper. And it was somewhat frightening for Hermione, because instead of flaring up in the usual Ron way, he was keeping rather quiet and was pale throughout the day. Hermione was beginning to regret pushing down the stupid secret (what secret! She mentally slapped herself. It's a LIE!) within her. Both boys moved faster than usual, with Ron occasionally muttering something about a "wet pitch" and "McGonagall" and "greenhead" and "ferret" and "dyin' real bad" to Harry (to which he just remained silent).

After Harry and Ron came out of Divination classes, they saw Hermione come down the spiral staircase to meet them from her Ancient Runes class. Ron turned to go, but Harry jerked at his sleeve, causing the Weasley boy to look rather surprised and annoyed. Hermione slowed down as she approached them at the foot of the staircase, eyeing them rather hesitantly. Harry had a very cool expression plastered on his face as Hermione came right in front of them, while Ron just looked at his feet as if something very interesting had just run across his shoes.

"So…" Harry's voice didn't really sound like his. "Are you going to tell us what is going on, Hermione?"

Hermione blinked as she went red.

"Hermione, don't be so stubborn."

Hermione blinked again, this time staring at Ron's feet too.

"There isn't any interesting thing associated with Ron's shoes."

"Then why is he staring at it?" Hermione glared at Ron, then back at Harry. Ron went a little pink, opening his mouth, but shutting it once again, looking rather sulky.

Harry saw that Hermione was playing his game all right, so he decided to be a little bit more rational to make her talk properly.

"Look Hermione, if Malfoy says this whole fiasco's a silly thing, why don't you just tell us honestly all about it and we can try to talk this out with the teachers? I mean, if it's such a ridiculous issue causing us a _ban_, then I don't see why we can't appeal."

"You can't 'cos Snape's in charge," snapped Hermione, failing to suppress her unhappiness. "He's in charge of Quidditch ALONE and the professors, even Dumbledore, have agreed not to interfere in his decisions because he's been stuck down there while McGonagall got promoted to a more secure internal position. And he's done a big favour to Dumbledore. So he becomes this _whoa_ guy and we are all dead."

Hermione's little speech obviously failed to make a convincing impact on Ron.

"What nonsense is that?!" Ron blazed immediately, his face turning reddish-purple. "Honestly, I'm sure such stupid decisions can't even be passed by Dumbledore; why make Snape (he pronounced this with extreme distaste) decide when he's so _bias_?"

"And if Snape is bias, McGonagall is not? She's been helping us a lot." Hermione suddenly felt rather weak as she tried to offer a lame excuse that she felt was so not justifiable to her case. _What case am I fighting for?_ She wondered. Impulsively, she wanted to find Professor Dumbledore too, but lately some dreams of hers (or were they – nightmares?) were not really very encouraging. Something about "finding a suitable – " "…Hogwarts" and she felt that the voice was filled with so much evil and hatred that she didn't want to blow up any other matter at the moment for fear that it would be the catalyst to something really evil. And…somehow that silvery-haired blond Draco Malfoy came into her mind, but she shook that image off hurriedly.

"Hermione, you can trust us. We trust you so much." Harry's tender voice was so heartbreaking for Hermione, but she didn't really want to break the horrid, absurd truth to them. She knew their immediate reactions, she knew the outcomes and she knew that Gryffindor would just be a whole laughingstock by creating a mountain out of this stupid molehill.

"Why don't you ask Naomi? She knows best. I…I don't know the details."

"Hermione!" Harry was losing his patience. "You've heard Naomi say that the whole thing was just so ruddy stupid, senseless, and it's all her fault and she couldn't talk back to any authority and won't speak any further!"

Hermione looked at him, then looked at the flaming Ron, and with sudden defiance, spoke out rather loudly and clearly. "And I won't either."

Her eyes filled with tears as she spoke, but she held them back, refusing to let her best friends see them spill out.

As she turned to go, a pair of silvery eyes from the level above watched her toss her curls and march off, with a tinge of surprise.


	7. Suitable Candidate

**Disclaimer:** I would be a billionaire if Harry Potter were mine, but nope, he belongs to J.K.Rowling.

**Author's Note: **I think the previous entry, there was a paragraph whereby the words were a little messed up; I tried replacing it - I don't know if it has changed but anyway, here is the correct paragraph:

_Draco shot up straight in bed, beads of perspiration forming strands on his pale face as the moonlight streamed into the Slytherin boys' dormitory. Draco's cold fingers clutched at his bedspread, the harsh words echoing in his mind like a tape recorder. It was so…so real. **The words…they seemed to have a magnetic effect – he was being drawn to the voice. It wasn't lulling – no, far from it. It was filled with dread and evil and melancholy.** But it was a powerful force. Draco felt a shiver run down his spine._

_Could it be that the darkness had awoken once again?_

The words in bold are the corrected lines. Previously, some words from the bottom paragraphs were up there, I don't know why.

_slytherin-kittycat: Thanks for reviewing! And thanks for spotting the confusion of words in Chapter 6. I'm eagerly waiting for your fic to carry on! I'm glad you liked the previous 2 chapters. And yup the real plot is coming really soon...so sit tight!_

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Hermione sat by the window, gazing out into the starry night with uneasiness. It was the third night consecutively that she could not sleep after Draco had revealed to her the "truth", or what she hoped would not be. Actually, she really wanted to go and find Professor McGonagall herself to ask her why she could not stop Snape from banning the Gryffindor team from the pitch – that way neither Harry nor Ron needed to know the truth. But somehow, she felt something pulling her back; she just did not want to go forth and demand a proper explanation. She felt like just accepting Draco's words for what they were.

And she was very unhappy about that pull holding her back.

Not only was that sense of uneasiness keeping her awake, it was also that she was afraid to sleep. All along, she never had dreams about the Dark Lord as compared to Harry's constant nightmares that left him quaking even in the morning – that was, until lately, she seemed to sense that he was the voice in her dreams, demanding that he should find someone in Hogwarts to be his minion. Snape? Hermione shuddered to think that her Potions teacher would be ready to bring out his wand and thrust it at Harry during any ordinary Potions lesson and kill him outright. There would be no more Boy with the Scar. And later – no more Ron…and herself…

But what made her really queasy was that the Dark Lord had not only wanted to do that, he wanted to do it immediately. And as she looked back into the girls' dormitory, listening to the light snores, she wondered if his evil tentacles had begun to reach into the castle of Hogwarts, feeling around for the suitable candidate to do his dirty work…

---

"_Draco,_

_As you know, the Dark Lord has always favoured pureblood heritages and has high regard for the Malfoy family in particular, considering that we have served him for so many years and helped to make him the powerful dark force he is now. _

_I have been summoned to see the Dark Lord recently, and my son, you are in good luck to be selected by him as a potential heir (to the dark throne)! I have finally repaid my ancestors a good deed by grooming you into someone personally selected by the Dark Lord himself! _

_The initiation of the dark minions will be a grand affair (low-key, of course) in our mansion. But you are special, my son, he will confer upon you leader of the new batch of minions for his force and you will serve him faithfully like the generations before you. You will be officially a Death-Eater, and you will repay my faith in you. As son of the host of this prestigious event, I hope you will be more conscious of your behaviour. _

_Do not make the Dark Lord regret his decision, or you will suffer the consequences. _

_Lucius"_

Draco read the letter three times through, then tore it up vehemently and threw it into the fire, scowling fiercely. _Death-Eater_. What prestigious role was that?! He had never wanted to follow the generations before him, submitting themselves to lick the boots of the Dark Lord. _Voldemort_, he mouthed silently. He didn't want to be his minion. Whenever was Draco Malfoy made to bow low to another other than his father? But then Draco knew very well: he could not betray his father's hopes. He could not treat this induction like a plaything, for both Lucius and the Dark Lord would make him pay. Now he understood the dreams that played continuously in his mind for the last few nights. Nightmares, rather. All about the Dark Lord, and his demands, and the image of him killing a man. Was he…the _minion_ the Dark Lord was eyeing within Hogwarts?

The more he thought about it, the more he fumed.

A pain was nagging at his head, and he rubbed his temples forcefully. He was glad he had managed to find the Slytherin common room empty for once, and rid of those chattering first-years and those irritating girls –

The moment he thought about that, he groaned, as he saw Pansy Parkinson walk out of her dormitory and descended the steps to the ground floor of the common room. "Hi Draco, did your father tell you about the _induction_?"

Her sickly-sweet voice was so annoying Draco rolled his eyes and clenched his fists in a bid to stop himself from raging. He looked straight at the fire, not answering.

"Draco, don't ignore me. This is a big thing."

"Big?" Draco rolled his eyes again.

"Come on, Draco, surely your father must have told you about the Death Eater induction ceremony? I was told you were invited specially by the Dark Lord too! What an honour that must be!"

Draco gave a soft "wow!" sarcastically.

"Draco?" Pansy asked in a mournful tone.

"So what if he did?"

"I mean," her eyes grew wide. "Aren't you excited at all?"

"Why should I be excited about being a _servant_?" demanded Draco, eyes flashing, though his focus was on the fire, not Pansy.

Pansy looked rather hurt and went all martyr-like. "Oh Draco, but you know the Dark Lord is all-knowing, you mustn't say such things. He will know. Haven't you always wanted to be a powerful person? The Dark Lord can make you one…"

"When the hell did I ever say that?!" Draco snorted disgustedly, feeling very irritated by Pansy's constant whines. "And I don't give a damn if he hears me run him down. I don't want to be his minion."

"Draco!" Pansy looked horrified. "But haven't you…"

"I have never." Draco looked stoidly in front of him. "Never. Ever."

"But my mother told me…"

"Must be lies your people are stuffing you up with. You can go be his minion all you like. I haven't the slightest interest bowing down to the Dark Lord. Keep him for yourself," and with that, he got up stiffly and stormed all the way back to the boys' dormitory without another look at Pansy. He really didn't want to hear any more about the Dark Lord. He didn't know what to do – whether to please his father and carry on the Malfoy heritage of "serving the Dark force" – or to follow his heart and just turn the whole thing down – and suffer the consequences. His headache intensified and he winced as he lay down in bed, massaging his forehead. What should he do? And now if he fell asleep, he would hear the Dark Lord's calls once again…beckoning him forward…

Outside, in the common room, Pansy's eyes looked fearful for a moment after Draco had left, shifted uneasily, then squeezed into little slits. "Oh Draco," she whispered. "You don't know how much wrong you are doing yourself. Oh you really don't know."


	8. Unnerving Lesson

**Disclaimer: **Harry Potter and Co. belong to Ms J.K.Rowling.

**Author's Note: **I'm sorry I took so long to update. But anyway my fanfic is quite deserted. I think it's because of the timezone; even most Asians prefer to write at night rather than now, in the afternoon. But oh well. Haha, enjoy this one! It's still very slow moving I must admit, but the next chapter will be more exciting! :)

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"Boys and girls, please look at the revised timetable very carefully. We have altered the venues of certain lessons due to some areas which we are putting as out of bounds for all students. This will include the classroom for tomorrow's Potions, Charms, and the Herbology lesson late this week…"

---

"Why do you think the teachers made those areas out of bounds?" asked Dean Thomas, looking rather puzzled as the troop of Gryffindors made their way round the bend to go down for Care of Magical Creatures class near Hagrid's hut. "I mean, Professor Dumbledore never mentioned anything about such things at the start of the year!"

"Sounds like a hasty decision to me," said Harry, pursing up his lips.

"What makes you say so?" asked Ron, in surprise that Harry made such an immediate conjecture.

"Because the school cares too much about its students' safety. If the administration knew those areas are going to be some form of trouble for us (or we the source of trouble for those areas) they would have long forbidden us from accessing them from the start of the year."

"That's a sound theory," remarked Seamus Finnigan, thoughtfully, as they descended the staircase to move out into the open courtyard. "But like Dean asked, what's so freaked about those areas?"

"Blimey, Snape taught us there! That's where Neville got his foot scalded and his face…" before Ron could finish, the Gryffindors broke out into peals of laughter. Neville looked a bit offended, then he stuck out his tongue in mock fury. Harry gave him a friendly punch in the shoulder, while Seamus ruffled his hair in a rather affectionate manner (the guy kind of affection – no other meaning intended) and Neville smiled a little. Now the only person in the group of laughing Gryffindors who _wasn't_ laughing, or even showing a hint of a smile, was Hermione.

Harry noticed his good friend's melancholy expression. "Hermione?"

Hermione didn't respond. She kept on looking at the ground as they trudged towards the brick steps that would lead them to Hagrid's hut just down the slope of the castle grounds. Harry cocked an eyebrow to Ron, who shrugged his shoulders and carried on walking. Fed up that both his friends seemed to be behaving rather immaturely, Harry walked a bit quicker to catch up with Dean and Seamus in front.

With Harry now in front, Ron and Hermione were sort of walking side by side. Ron made no attempt to catch up with his best friend, while Hermione was rather deep in thought. Finally Ron could bear the silence no longer, and ventured to ask,

"So…what have you been doing lately considering you haven't met Harry and I very often in the common room these days?"

It was longer than what Ron intended to say, so he turned a bright red when he finished, but swallowed hard and looked expectantly at Hermione for a reply.

None.

Ron took a deep breath and ventured another attempt. "What d'ya think about the closing of those areas that we can't use as classrooms anymore…I think…"

Most of the Gryffindors had already gathered at Hagrid's hut door. The giant was probably getting his lesson ready in the hut. Hermione still looked at the ground as she walked.

"Hermione!" Ron hissed shrilly.

"Oh, oh!" Hermione suddenly broke out of her trance. "Oh, what?"

"Oh what all right! I should be asking you that!" Ron glared at her, rather furious that he had actually wanted to be nice and chat with her but only ended up getting a dazed expression from her. _Must be thinking about that rat!_ Lately, Ron had been conjuring up a story of Hermione and Draco probably getting together and dating and having great fun and him brainwashing her into thinking her two friends were probably just a bunch of meddlesome nitwits. With the image of Hermione in Draco's arms firmly imprinted in his mind, he pursed up his lips dissatisfactorily and hurried to the front to join Harry, leaving Hermione rather puzzled and a little hurt.

Hermione saw Ron edge towards the front to listen to Hagrid – she decided staying at the back of the crowd would make her less conspicuous and so she could remain in deep thought and forget about Ron's horrid expression. However, Hermione _not _being in the front was somehow _very_ conspicuous. Hagrid noticed the absence of the prized student, and scanned the lot of students for her, only to find her musing a little at the back.

"So, y'all sixth 'ears 'n I hope y'all get to 'noe 'em Peastwiggers betta, eh? Oh ye, I 'aven told ya about 'em Peastwiggers. Can anyone tell me what they'r?"

Harry scratched his head, then sighed and shook his head lightly. Even the Ravenclaws looked stumped. Ron instinctively tried to search for Hermione within the scope of his vision (he didn't want to conspicuously turn to the back) but obviously failed to.

Hagrid knew the only one who could answer his question perfectly was Hermione. And there she was, standing at the back of the class, looking entirely dazed and zoned out. Very, _very_ unlike Hermione Granger.

"'Mione?"

Hermione shook out of her dazed self again. "What?"

Everyone stared at her. It was unlike Hermione Granger to ask a teacher to repeat a question, given her amazing ability to pay the fullest attention in the dullest class, and her parrot memory that never failed to draw envious stares. Today's Hermione Granger looked like any ordinary Hogwarts student, with a particularly lethargic vibe about her. It was as if all of her energetic soul had been sucked out completely, leaving behind a rubbery figure with no skeleton.

Hagrid raised his eyebrows. "'Haps ye might tell me what 'em Peastwiggers are?"

"Oh. Erm. Well." Hermione bit her lip and massaged her forehead slightly, then cleared her throat. "They're some kind of four-legged birds – labelled birds because of their wings – and they have bright blue feathers with the ability to…"

"'Em green feathers, Ms Granger, not blue 'uns," corrected Hagrid, looking worried.

"I'm sorry," muttered Hermione, feeling her face grow hot as the two houses of people seemed to edge in, peering rather queerly at her. She could feel the headache coming back; the one that she always had to nurse after the horrible nightmares. Was this what Harry experienced, leading to his outbursts last year? Was this why he was so agitated and volatile? And somehow she was beginning to see a faint silhouette of the minion the Dark Lord wanted in her "dreams". Someone tall…blond…and it made her uneasy to know who she was guessing it would be. "I have a headache."

The students relaxed a bit. It was only a headache unnerving Hermione. Hagrid gave a sigh of relief and offered some words of comfort in a bid to soothe her ache.

But Harry and Ron knew better; it was definitely more than a headache. In fact, it involved somebody – somebody whom Ron was immediately conjuring up an image of charming serpents to coil around his neck, arms, legs…the ultimate prince of serpents…


	9. Inducting the Impeded

**Disclaimer: **Draco Malfoy, in all his silver-green glory, lies in the hands of J.K.Rowling, not me.

_slytherin-kittycat: Thanks! The blocked off part will fit in a little later...hope you enjoy this one...now the excitement is seeping in..._

_Yun Fei: Thanks for your review! I'm sorry about my grammatical errors I'm real bad at those. Ron isn't dirty, just that he's jealous Hermione doesn't spend as much time with him and Harry and only stones all the time - and since she stood up for Draco, he's obviously pissed off with her. Hope you enjoy this chapter!_

* * *

Draco looked at himself in the mirror and adjusted his stiff collar with rather tentative fingers. The frills made his skin itch uncontrollably, but he refrained from scratching his neck raw. He smoothened down the frills in front and pulled down his cloak into a comfortable position. But he was far from comfortable. _I look like those music Muggles…like Beethoven._

With that thought, he scowled furiously at his reflection and contemplated his attire for a while. It was befitting of the occasion since it was a formal induction, and that the cloak was the symbolic attire of the Malfoys. However, Draco would rather have been inducted in his Hogwarts robes if he chose to. If he chose to – even want to be a Death Eater.

_I hate this._

He straightened his posture, smoothened down his now-slightly spiked blonde hair with silver streaks, then marched out of the Slytherin male dormitory. There was no one in there, or in the common-room either, because they were having lessons. Draco had been excused from them because of the induction. He sneered to himself, but stopped in time to be annoyed at the fact that he was attending something he totally didn't want to attempt.

Actually, it was much, far much deeper than annoyance. It was like a repelling force – this whole induction. Draco knew he had a rather sadistic nature of enjoying pain, anger and hurt in others, but he also had a rather moral sense altogether that he felt Death Eaters went far too overboard in what he considered were his moral values. As a Malfoy, Draco was brought up very strictly with principles such that his own individual ones were set out with as much pride and carried out with as much discipline. And the nightmares! He felt a tremor rise in him as he stepped out of the common-room into the empty corridors. It was as though he could understand what the Dark Lord wanted in him even before they met face-to-face. Draco clenched his fists to destress himself a bit as he made his way down to the ground level.

_I want you to do something._

That sinister voice kept echoing in his head even as he walked towards the huge fireplace near the dining hall. He dipped his hand into his cloak pocket, feeling for the powder that nestled within the fabric.

_I want…YOU…to do something._

Shut up! He mentally reprimanded the echoes as he fished out a handful of Floo powder. Then he stepped into the unlighted but rather sooty fireplace, breathing in deeply. His cloak swept against the coal pieces, and he lifted it up slightly so that it wouldn't be too dirty.

"Malfoy Manor!"

A flash of green flames erupted around him – the flames seemed to reflect in his eyes – but they were burning red, scaldingly crimson in colour…

-

Hermione felt a knot of pain tightening in her stomach all of a sudden. She clutched her robes rather weakly as she tried to concentrate on her Transfiguration lesson, but the pain grew to be rather unbearable. Ron, who was sitting awkwardly beside her, noticed her discomfort and asked rather gruffly if she was okay. Hermione bit her lip – she could barely answer from the pain. Ron looked rather alarmed instantly, then cried, "Professor!" very loudly.

All the students looked up at Ron's cry. Professor McGonagall spun around in the middle of the aisle and rushed towards Hermione. The bushy-haired girl was rocking back and forth with her hand still placed on her stomach – it was obvious the pain was excruciating as tears were now running down her cheeks. Immediately, Professor McGonagall swept out of the classroom, carrying Hermione to the Hospital Wing (it was amazing the amount of strength Professor McGonagall had sometimes despite the bony figure).

"What the…" Ron gulped.

Harry narrowed his eyes onto Hermione's paper. The quill lying on it looked a bit bent at the tip, and there were random blue scrawls around the edge…something Hermione would never do to a piece of parchment…

-

"Madam Pomfrey!"

The hospital nurse ran out to receive Hermione from Professor McGonagall, who was very worried for the girl. She had earlier assumed Hermione to be having some stress-related problems, but from the pain in the stomach it didn't look like any ordinary student stress. Madam Pomfrey assured Professor McGonagall that Hermione would be alright after being dosed, but the thin professor decided to stay put beside the moaning Gryffindor.

Especially since she had heard Hermione mutter in pain,

"Draco Malfoy is going to become a Death Eater…"

-

"I will NOT stand this from you now…" Lucius gritted his teeth as he pointed his wand at his son's neck, causing Draco to tilt his head back. Draco had a defiant expression plastered on his face, smirking occasionally at the rage written all over Lucius Malfoy's countenance. "You will go in and be inducted as a minion of the Dark Lord without any complaint or whatsoever."

Lucius' attempt at being calm wasn't working very well, for he was trembling all over. It only served to intensify Draco's defiance, for the boy merely backed away from the wand, fishing in his cloak pocket for his own wand. Lucius grew wide-eyed when he saw what Draco was doing.

"GET YOUR HAND AWAY!" he roared, sticking his wand further at Draco. "You know I will not use the Cruciatus curse during such an important and prestigious occasion. You will NOT make me lose face in this situation and you will OBEY me."

With that, Lucius cried "_Impedimenta!_" without a warning, sending a horrified Draco reeling backwards…

_"Well, well, well, excellent boy we have here…leader of all my new inductees…"_

"_Yes, my Lord, I will entrust him in your care."_

"_I will treat him well, unless of course, he turns out to be an absolute fool…"_

"_My Lord, my son is a capable young man whom you can place 100 trust in to carrying out your orders faithfully. He will be a good leader to all."_

"_That is good news indeed. Now Draco Malfoy, you will now officially become a Death Eater who will serve me loyally and wholeheartedly, carrying out my orders to the best of your abilities, and to be a faithful minion to me always. Is that understood?"_

"_Yes, my Lord. I will be your faithful minion. I will be your faithful servant who will obey all your orders and carry them out well."_

"_Such a talented boy will be an excellent spy within Hogwarts…"_

"_Long Live the Dark Lord for his wisdom!"_

"_Long Live the Dark Lord for his nobility!"_

"_Long Live the Dark Lord…" _

A smile crossed her face as she saw him, silvery streaked blond hair and all, kneel down in front of the Dark Lord to receive the mark on his shoulder blade, then bow down to him to obtain final recognition as leader of the inductees. Her eyes became slit-like as she whispered,

"My dear Draco, you have made the right decision. At last, at last…"

_-_

Professor McGonagall felt her eyelids droop a little, then she shook herself awake.

"I must be going...", but not before looking at Hermione with a worried expression...

-

Hermione jerked awake, her eyes darting about fearfully as she scanned the dark hospital ceiling above her. Her fingers clutched the bedspread, and beads of perspiration rolled down her face furiously.

"I must be crazy," Hermione muttered under her breath, as she sat up in a hurry. "What was I doing during all my lessons? It must have been those nightmares…" and as soon as she mentioned "nightmares", her eyes grew wide open and she bit her lip rather hard. "Nightmares…"

"Argh, why the hell do I keep dreaming of that stupid git!" She burst out in rage as she swung her legs out of the bed. Then she put a hand to her stomach. "It doesn't hurt anymore," she whispered to herself. She tried to compose herself, breathing in deeply. But questions seemed to bombard her mind with every inhalation she made. Why am I dreaming of Draco Malfoy?

"He's becoming a Death Eater…" She whispered, feeling rather bewildered, her fingers clutching the bedspread even more tightly. "Why do I know it? I can…I can sense it. He's becoming a Death Eater this very moment…I can feel it…"

Somehow, as much as Draco Malfoy had teased her, taunted her, shamed her with Harry and Ron…Hermione couldn't help feeling a sharp pang of pain in her heart that this "silver greenhead" was going to become an official member of the enemy…he was going to have his life dictated by Voldemort…and somehow she could feel that this choice wasn't exactly his own choice…she wished he hadn't made it…but he had to…

Or was this all just a horrible nightmare?

_How I wish it was…_


	10. Certain Revelations

**Disclaimer: **As much as I would like to tap Lucius Malfoy and change him into a toad in book 6, I possess no power to do so because all characters unfortunately belong to J.K.Rowling. However I do possess the power to manipulate the characters haha and they are at my dispense.

dimondcrystal124_: thanks for reviewing! well the bond hasn't really been formed yet (in terms of love) but they are definitely bound by something intangible ... and strong! hope you enjoy this chapter.  
_Yun Fei_: hey thanks for reviewing :) haha you got that part about Dumbledore spot on ... saviour wise, hehe, you have to just keep reading on. And yes I'm pairing the two up, but that whole romantic part will have to come after the drama. I'm a suckler for action and drama, not lemony stuff hope this chapter is up to your taste :)  
_slytherin-kittycat_: there, I promised to catch up with you:) thanks for your review; well Hermione gets the stronger sense alright. Draco-wise, it takes time to connect to her. Yep so now I shall reveal more answers to the secrets you identified earlier on:) hope you enjoy this chapter._

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Professor Dumbledore leant back in his armchair, tapping his fingers absent-mindedly to a random tune that had just come up in his mind, hoping the melody would overshadow the many happenings that were causing turmoils in his wise head at the moment. Sometimes, even the head of a school would like some peace! But as luck would have it, Professor McGonagall's sudden arrival by banging open the door of his office startled all the notes out of his mind and his fingers stopped to grasp the armrest with a jerk. 

"Why…"

"I apologise, Professor, for my sudden intrusion but I must inform you of something," said Professor McGonagall, very briskly, as she strode up to the front of Professor Dumbledore's table. "Miss Granger is lying in the hospital wing now from a faint in class, and she is muttering something very conspicuously suspicious."

"Take your time to catch your breath, Minerva," said Professor Dumbledore, trying to sound calm as the pointy-faced witch glared at him, heaving deeply. "And what was that Miss Granger was saying?"

"She said that Mr Malf stretched out his arm and Fawkes flew to land on it, ruffling his feathers as he did so. Professor McGonagall continuking at Professor Dumbledore, who seemed to have gone a little rigid, before he relaxed and looked expectantly at her. She gave a click of exasperation. "What more information do you need, Albus! I think that is a really serious matter of which…"

"Like where Mr Malfoy is now."

"I have **no** idea!" Minerva McGonagall was completely exasperated. "He has been missing from _all_ his classes, and Professor, only _you_ could have given him permission to skip classes! Do you mean to tell me you have absolutely no clue regarding the whereabouts of Draco Malfoy?"

Fawkes gave a whimper as he buried his head under his brilliant plumage. Professor Dumbledore gave him a glance, then looked back at Professor McGonagall. "I have some clue but I have been told not to inform the staff. But I am not very clear about the whole situation."

"And you let the boy go? Is it Lucius Malfoy?" Professor McGonagall's eyes squeezed into slits as she mentioned the name of the Death-Eater.

Professor Dumbledore said nothing. He stretched out his arm and Fawkes flew to land on it, ruffling his feathers as he did so. Professor McGonagall continued to observe his expressions, but he gave her none. Completely despaired by the lack of attention the Headmaster seemed to be giving this issue, Professor McGonagall threw up her hands and turned around to walk off. She deliberately walked slower towards the exit in hope that he would call her back to discuss the issue with her, but as he made no sound at all, she let out a rather muffled "hrrumph!" and stalked off in fury.

Albus Dumbledore watched her go off, but there was no flicker of amusement in his eyes as he usually would have towards such a comical action. He saw absolutely no humour in McGonagall's exasperation, because he was very worried about Draco Malfoy. He leant back in his armchair, trying to piece together the conversation he had...

...just a while ago...

"Well, well, well, Professor Dumbledore. I am surprised you are still managing Hogwarts after all that drama for the past few years…"

Professor Dumbledore eyed the long blond-haired man before him rather neutrally. "And rather well, I believe."

"Such a fantastic ego, Albus. But then again, you managed to evade us time and again from being sent to Azkaban. Well done, in that manner," and Lucius Malfoy gave a harsh laugh.

"My pleasure." Professor Dumbledore was willing to spend time to play games with Lucius Malfoy, but he was also awaiting the chance to chase him out. Having a Death-Eater in your office was not a particular honour, he had to admit. "Speak your mind, Lucius. What have you come for?"

"Oh, my friend, is there not more we can chat about?" asked Lucius, airily as he settled down in the armchair in front of Dumbledore's desk. "For example…" and he fingered his chin thoughtfully. "_Callidus Auceps?_"

"So, is that a confession that you sent the man into our grounds?" Professor Albus Dumbledore was doing an amazing job in keeping his cool.

"Not I, not I, the Dark Lord," laughed Lucius Malfoy, a chilling evil laugh. "And he was such a complete fool it was a waste of our time."

"A fool indeed. If not, Callidus would have been one of the most hardworking handymen I would have ever seen. He would have given Filch…what the Muggles say, "a run for his money". Pity though, he tries too hard for your master."

"He hasn't been trained very well in spying," remarked Lucius, coolly. "And he had to run into a meddlesome nitwit like you who originally was not supposed to come back to your office so that he wouldn't have to face your presence."

"Especially not when he's meddling with the school documents. No, no, no," smiled Professor Dumbledore.

"But it can be seen that your school security can be breached rather easily." Lucius Malfoy's lip curled unpleasantly. "What a shame, Albus, a crying shame. And to think Callidus Auceps was one of the lowest-ranking minions of the Dark Lord."

"I suppose he has been…"

"Destroyed with the Avada Kedavra curse."

Professor Dumbledore looked rather surprised as he sat at his seat, fingering a quill. "It warrants such a curse for a _minion_ like Callidus?"

"The Dark Lord had put faith in him because Callidus Auceps was the son of…"

"Ian Auceps. I should have guessed. Calling his son Callidus. Extremely apt."

"Ian Auceps was the most powerful Death-Eater then, had he not committed the grievous sin of falling in love with a Muggle. And so theHalf-Blood Callidus was born. But Callidus Auceps was a hardworking man who respected the Dark Lord a great deal." Lucius seemed to be narrating from an intangible text. "And the Dark Lord rewarded his service (however much he hated him) with a duty that was much to bear. As he expected somehow, that fool of a Callidus could not carry out the job and had to die."

"It's also because he was no Pureblood, wasn't it?"

"I regret starting the topic about the useless fool. Such a waste of time for a discussion."

"Useless? I believe he was quite _useful_ enough to plant things in our classrooms."

"You have not cleared it?" The tone of amusement in Lucius' voice was so evidently dripping with contempt.

"The attempt so far has been rather successful."

"But not completely."

"Speak your mind, Lucius. I haven't got all day!" Professor Dumbledore was becoming impatient with the way Malfoy was beating about the bush.

Lucius Malfoy fiddled with his thumbs for a bit, then looked up with a rye smile on his face. "Well, supposedly if we got a better minion for the job?"

"In preparation already? The Dark Lord's efficiency has increased. Is he that bloodthirsty for Harry Potter?"

"That Potter boy will have to die sooner or later, Albus. You know that. But we will make him suffer…what if his friends…"

"You are attempting to hurt Mr Weasley and Miss Granger?" Professor Dumbledore's eyes suddenly lit up in what would be interpreted as mild horror.

"My dear Albus, it would have been quite easy to predict so. But our attempt is not just disastrous for the three kids. I must inform you the Dark Lord's minion is already in the grounds."

Lucius laughed to see the half-concealed shock in Dumbledore's face, but the Headmaster quickly recovered. "Already?"

"Yes, but not yet invested."

A sudden realisation dawned upon the wise Headmaster. "You are planning to induct _your son_?"

"You are wise as they say, Albus. Clever, indeed. Yes, I am here primely to excuse my son from the entire day's less

* * *

ons. And you know…" Lucius Malfoy leant forward to twist the quill out of Dumbledore's hand. "What will happen if you do not comply." 

"I am not sending my student into the depths of darkness!" The firm voice sent Lucius into a sudden rage as he stood up, kicking the armchair away, and suddenly pulling out his wand directly pointing at the Headmaster. "You will comply!"

Professor Dumbledore stared at the wand tip that was merely inches away from his face. He looked calmly at Lucius Malfoy. "You will regret that your son ever became a Death-Eater."

"I rejoice, Professor."

Knowing that he could not risk angering the Dark Lord, Professor Dumbledore gripped his armchair with a grieved air of hidden despair.

* * *

_**Note: **Callidus - _sly, _Auceps_ - spy Latin 


	11. DeathEater Damnation

**Disclaimer: **I would have liked very much to have Lucius Malfoy writhing in pain on the floor at the end of J.K.Rowling's books but his character is set as it is, as with many of the other characters, by Ms Rowling herself - I claim no credit for it. I think I may do as I please with Callidus Auceps later on, though grins evilly

Yun Fei: _The previous chapter was sort of a background thing for you to understand why certain things happened in the earlier chapters. This one is also slightly draggy with more explanations involved, but I promise the next one will be more action-packed. :) Thanks for reviewing anyway!_

* * *

Professor McGonagall left Professor Dumbledore's office in a huff of anger. She could not believe how the wise…suddenly, she stopped. Striding towards her along the corridor was a swish of black cloak and unmistakeable blonde mop – the sneer was obvious. 

"Good morning, Minerva, I see you have paid the Headmaster a visit!"

"Your cheerfulness is so genuine I could almost feel your optimism radiating," retorted Professor McGonagall, sarcastically. "What are you here for?"

"You sound so vehement this morning, Minerva. It is not good for your health," remarked Lucius Malfoy, with a smirk. "I am here, too, to pay the Headmaster a visit, and will be leaving in a while after I tour my son's school grounds. Albus looks as bright as ever, I must say. My words have not pushed him to the brink," he leant forward rather menacingly. "A sad thing, indeed."

"Nothing good!" McGonagall glared at him. "I suppose, this has something to do with your son's mysterious disappearance?"

"Why, Minerva, the Headmaster was not wrong in appointing you Deputy Headmistress after all. You are wise, indeed, but sometimes even the wisest may be fools."

"Don't think you can get away with the Quidditch incident even though Professor Dumbledore has completely forgotten about it due to the series of events occurring in our school," said McGonagall, seething with anger. "The lies we had to come up with to hide your ridiculous antics!"

"Yes, yes! So I heard!" Lucius guffawed, with an evil glint in his eyes. "That poor Whittington girl. _Chewing gum_…poor, poor Gryffindor…"

"It was a lie your son started and we have to keep up with it!" Professor McGonagall was restraining herself from hollering down the corridor. "Because we cannot afford to let our students know a Death-Eater is in the grounds of our school interfering with our affairs!"

"Not even…when another will soon _live_ in the grounds of your school?" Lucius asked, rather sickly-sweetly, as he brushed past the pointy-hat witch, leaving her gaping outside the statues that guarded the entrance to the fortress of Hogwarts' Headmaster…

_

* * *

_

"Hermione!" cried Ron, as the door of the Gryffindor common-room swung open to reveal a pale, but much brighter-looking Hermione Granger. Harry and Ron swung themselves out of the couch and embraced her before anyone else could. Parvati and Lavender giggled at the side and beamed to see her much better.

"Hey," said Hermione, smiling faintly, as she held onto her two friends' shoulders. "How's everyone been?"

"Perfect!" Ginny's eyes danced as she went forward to hold Hermione's hand. "What about you? You just suddenly fainted during Transfiguration, I heard…"

"I'm fine," interjected Hermione, anxious to avoid the topic, though she really wanted to broach the subject of where Draco Malfoy was now. "Err…"

"Then that's all that matters," said Harry, smiling. "Say, will you be ready to go Hogsmeade with us this afternoon? We're planning to raid the candy stores for Honeydukes."

"AND Bertie Bott's!" Neville chimed in.

"Well…" Hermione looked uncomfortable. "Do you mind if I rest this time? I'm still a little – "

"Why, sure, we won't force you," remarked Ginny, as she clasped Hermione's hand. "We just need you to get better."

"Thanks," said Hermione, smiling.

As Ginny helped Hermione to her dormitory, Harry and Ron looked at each other and smiled faintly. In Ron's mind, he still suspected that her illness might be linked to _that ferret_ and he wondered if her mind had been poisoned by thinking too much of him. In Harry's mind however, he was suspecting that although Hermione's faint was linked to Malfoy, somehow something about Malfoy must have been troubling her, and he was determined to find out what, but only after Hermione was in a better state of health…

_girls' dormitory_

Hermione sat on her bed, alone in the girls' dormitory. She pulled a book at the foot of her bed towards her, then gently dusted the cover. _The Legend of Death-Eaters._ She wondered for a moment why she had borrowed that book, and it only hit her that this topic had been troubling her for some time even before she had the premonition that Draco was going to become a Death-Eater. Why? _OH._ She remembered. She wanted to read up more about Death-Eaters so that she could help Harry in his quest to defeat Voldemort. She never understood how Death-Eaters wanted to serve such a dark force like Lord Voldemort.

She opened the book, rather tentatively, as though breaching a very sensitive subject. She remembered how Voldemort tortured Neville's parents into insanity, killed Harry's parents, and murdered Cedric Diggory. How could people want to satisfy his insatiable evil deeds? Worse still, how could _Draco Malfoy_, someone who was despite being spiteful and cold, want to subject himself to such degradation of being a _minion_?

"CHAPTER ONE

_Death-Eater is the term given to a group of people who willingly give themselves up to the Dark Lord, commonly known in the wizarding world as You-Know-Who or He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, to be his slaves. They carry out his orders and do his bidding faithfully to the best of their abilities. These Death-Eaters are also known as "servants of death" for they serve death by bringing incapable creatures or defying oppositions to satisfy its need._

_The Dark Lord himself chooses his Death-Eaters carefully. His intrinsic selection is onlylimited to that of Pureblood wizards, and these selections will then go through an induction ceremony. Overaged wizards will be inducted separately from underage wizards. _

_Underage wizards will undergo an induction ceremony whereby one of whom specially picked by the Dark Lord will serve as the leader of the group. Any orders required to be carried out will be transmitted from the Dark Lord to the group via the leader, because the Dark Lord deems the rest as merely slaves that are competent only to a certain extent. The leader will most likely be one chosen to lead even when he grows up to be an overage wizard. It is said that this leader will also have the potential to be the one closest to the Dark Lord in future. Such a leader will only emerge when the Dark Lord deems him/her competent enough. If there is no such character, the underage group will not be inducted until one is found."_

Hermione stopped reading until there. Suddenly, her heart pumped faster than usual. _Those premonitions I had_, she thought to herself, her thoughts running wildly. _Why was Draco bending down to the Dark Lord…facing him…induction…leader…_

"Oh no," whispered Hermione. "He is the chosen one…that means…he will be a useful spy for Voldemort in Hogwarts…Hogwarts will be in danger!"

She shut the book with a thud.

"But doesn't Dumbledore know?"

Hermione scrambled out of bed, and flung open the dormitory door. The crowd of Gryffindors downstairs suddenly stopped their buzz of noise, and looked up at the sudden bang of the door, only to see a crazy mop of brown curls hanging from the railings above.

"Where is Draco Malfoy?"

Ron let out a vehement snort, while Harry looked worried.

"Isn't anyone going to tell me? I'm not going to faint or anything!" Hermione was very cross and annoyed.

Harry spoke up. "He didn't go to Defence Against the Dark Arts class. Professor Nell **(A.N.: **new teacher, by the way, he will be introduced in detail later) was hopping mad."

"Yeah," put in Dean Thomas. "I overheard Flitwick telling Sprout that he was missing from Charms too."

Hermione felt her blood grow cold. "He got permission to skip lessons?"

"Who cares about that bloody ferret?" Ron cursed under his breath, then he looked up at Hermione, raging within. "Why do you give a damn?"

Hermione ignored Ron and looked expectantly at Harry instead. The boy adjusted his spectacles rather uncomfortably. "Well…I have no idea…"

As quick as lightning, Hermione Granger sped down the stairway and broke through the stunned crowd of Gryffindors, heading straight for the door.

"Hey, wait, Hermione, WAIT!" and Harry and Ron ran out of the common-room after her. "WAIT!…wait!…w…"

Hermione skidded down the corridor and nearly crashed into a most bewildered Professor McGonagall, who could only make out a blur of brown sliding past and halting abruptly.

"Miss Granger!" Professor McGonagall finally recognised this dishevelled mess of curls. "You are alright!"

"Yes, Professor, much better," panted Hermione. "I…"

"You ought to be resting," frowned Professor McGonagall, but Hermione was in no mood to discuss her condition.

"Professor, I need to ask you something URGENT."

"Yes, my dear, what is it?" Professor McGonagall peered curiously beyond her spectacles, her heart thumping a little faster as she tried to anticipate what this genius of a Granger would be asking her.

"About Draco Malfoy."

Professor McGonagall bit her lip slightly, then looked rather hesitantly at a defiant Hermione. "What about, Miss Granger?"

"Is it true," began Hermione, trying to ignore the fact that Harry and Ron had caught up with her and were standing at the back trying to catch their breaths. "That Mr Malfoy has got permission to skip his classes?"

Professor McGonagall eyed the two panting boys at the back, then looked back at Hermione. "Yes, Miss Granger, but…"

"Why did Professor Dumbledore allow him to?" Hermione looked worried.

"There are some things that you must learn not to question sometimes, Miss Granger, it may only bring more harm to you than you can ever imagine," said Professor McGonagall quietly. Harry and Ron exchanged bewildered looks, while Hermione looked at Professor McGonagall with a mixture of sadness and eagerness. "Wouldn't you tell me? I…I know what he's doing now…I…I can't imagine why he's been given the chance to do it."

"What is he doing?" broke in Harry, unable to control his curiosity.

Hermione hung her head. Professor McGonagall looked across at the boys, her lip quivering.

"He has gone to become a Death-Eater."

_

* * *

_

Draco Malfoy curled his lip as he saw the flames engulf the screaming woman in the middle of the pyre. The flames seemed to curl around her and upwards, upwards towards the black sky in a twisting spiral of evil. The fire was like the Devil incarnate…wrapping itself around her…burying her cries of pain…and he stood there, laughing, laughing and laughing…oblivious to the misery and terror that lay in the final ashes of the ceremony.

"He takes pleasure in the pain…" the Dark Lord whispered to himself, an evil smile appearing. "Pleasure…"

Draco Malfoy turned, his eyes still glazing from the delirious nature of it all. "My Lord, it is done."

Then suddenly, as though he had been tied to strings, and now the strings were suddenly cut! Draco fell to the floor, limp. Instantly, his strong body began to turn icy pale and it gave a violent shudder. A horrified gasp was heard from the crowd of young slaves, but Draco continued writhing on the floor, as though he was being doused with icy water.

"COLD!" He cried in agony. "Collld…coooldd…cold….I'm soo colldd…some..bo-dy help…mmme…."

Lucius put down his wand, agony contorting his face for a moment, then it became straight again. "One must feel the pain in order to learn."


	12. Confused

**Disclaimer: **All characters belong solely to J.K.Rowling - though my edge is probably that I write without getting distracted by Minesweeper (or rather, maybe I'm not good at it)

TaurusGirl: Thanks for reviewing! Hope you enjoy this chapter!  
slytherin-kittycat: It was sort of stated earlier that Professor Dumbledore allowed Draco to leave because he was under pressure to comply with the Dark Lord because he didn't want any chaos happening in Hogwarts if he defied Voldemort. Not that Albus Dumbledore would be scared of Voldemort, but rather he was being political. Enjoy this chapter and thanks for reviewing!  
Yun Fei: He doesn't want to listen to Voldemort at all because like you said, he's full of himself and cares nothing for service, but now that he was forced into induction, he knows the consequences of defying the Dark Lord. After all, Draco is a kid in some way and he's naturally afraid of death however cold-hearted he was brought up to be. Hope you enjoy this one!

* * *

Hermione Granger made her way to the library, each step more tentative than before. Her senses were numb, and her glazed eyes were confused behind its blurry exterior, while her bushy hair was even more frizzled than usual. Clearly, the news of Draco Malfoy becoming a Death Eater was not in any way comforting, and the imminent doom of Hogwarts was immensely terrifying. 

To Hermione, she had hated Draco Malfoy to the core ever since they had met. Much less Harry, who was his direct nemesis. But now that Hermione could sense periodic flashes of Draco's emotions and experiences (Hermione had yet to consult a proper magic psychologist about this), she was beginning to feel a sense of pity and sadness for him – it seemed that Malfoy was not keen on being in the dark arena of wizardry, but he was forced into it because of his heritage.

And somehow, Hermione was suspicious of the earlier Quidditch incident that had created so much tension between her and the boys. It couldn't be just chewing gum…could it? Really, that was absurd…_oh the stupid ferret!_…

She entered the library with trembling nerves, ignoring Madam Pince's pointed glares at her as she moved towards the furthest table in the corner. Madam Pince had never taken kindly to Hermione's frequent visits however much Hermione was the teacher's pet, because Hermione would annoy her to no end about the lack of resources at times, or interrogate her about the details of books. But today, it seemed Miss Know-it-all was a bit more taciturn than usual.

As Hermione passed the last bookshelf, she attempted to put her books down on the table when she saw somebody behind the bookshelf. She froze.

"Morning, Granger," said the voice, a little uncomfortably pleasant.

"What are you doing here?" Hermione narrowed her eyes, trying to steady her heartbeat as the familiar mop of silver-blond was tossed back elegantly.

"As usual, reading. Honestly, Granger, what can one do in the library if not for that?"

"Draco Malfoy, come clean with me. I know you're a Death Eater."

Draco Malfoy did not flinch, though his eyes flashed a bit. "So what if I am? So what if I'm not? If you say you know, what answer do you expect from me?"

"Don't give me cryptic responses!" snapped Hermione, slamming her books down, prompting a rather loud snort from the librarian at the far end. "You jolly well know I know what you're thinking!"

"I don't need a psychic Mudblood here!" spat Draco Malfoy, glaring at her. "And why should you care what the hell I do? Go back to Potter and Weasley and go be their official psychic!"

"I know you don't want to be a Death Eater! Why are you so – so – "

"So what?" snapped Draco, turning his back to her. "I don't need your pity! All you people out there just know how to pretend to be sympathetic when actually deep down, you are all bloody hypocrites! Why should I garner your crocodile tears to be my cushion of sympathy! And who cares about being a damned Death Eater? If I don't, why should you?"

There was complete silence for a very long time.

Draco was heaving after his rather loud retort, though he was a bit afraid that because he had mentioned the word "Death Eater" so loudly others would have overheard. But it seemed like there was no one else…

Draco spun around. Granger was no longer there.

He got up and peered round the bookshelf. Hermione was at the counter bugging Madam Pince with some questions. Annoying her. Keeping her occupied.

Draco leant back to the bookshelf, away from sight. He closed his eyes. Yes, now he was free of the Imperius Curse. But it was only temporary. He knew Lucius would cast it again. Dracorolled up his sleeve andfingered the rough mark on his arm. _I never wanted to do this. He made me._ And now with the Dark Mark, Draco would have no choice but to serve the Dark Lord well, or else he would not survive to see the sunrise the next day. Draco knew that he would have obliged to every command by the Dark Lord if his father had cast a permanent Imperius Curse, but after all, Lucius was his father and he would rather his son complete the tasks voluntarily than be subjected to an omnipotent voice commanding him to do so.

But as Draco picked up one of his books to flip through absentmindedly, he felt a hollow feeling seeping into him. His first task was meant to confirm his loyalty to the Dark Lord so that the Dark Lord would entrust him with more personal tasks. However, this first task was somewhat unnerving. The Dark Lord wanted him to deal the Weasley family a blow. This was rather hard because Draco was not someone who was chummy at all with the Weasleys (far from it, really) and he wasn't even sure how many siblings there were in all. There was that carrot-haired meddlesome baby sister and the two annoyingly ingenious twins who were selling magic stuff at Diagon Alley. There was that brother who went near dragons, wasn't it? And probably to some faraway land to do research. Yes, there was that former Head Boy who was completely inferior to the Slytherin leaders then. And of course, the completely irrational, absurdly stupid and rash weasel of a Ron.

Draco curled his lip. _This is a damned hard thing! _Though he would love to deal that weasel a nice, hard blow on his own accord, he hardly wanted to accomplish anything for the vile Dark Lord. _He should go send my father or something so that I don't have to get any blame for Ronald Weasley's misfortune! _He knew he would revel in any Gryffindor's misery, but he wasn't sure if he would revel in the success of the Dark Lord.

Yet, he knew that harming Ron Weasley would mean incurring the wrath of the Golden Trio – he couldn't care much about whether Harry Potter would be angry or not – in fact, the angrier that Potter boy was, the more Draco would stand to gain. But the one person he was uncomfortable about having to affect, was the somebody who was just standing before him five minutes ago…

* * *

The classrooms in the upper levels of Hogwarts were reopened after a while, and again another babble of discussion broke out, with the curious students swarming into the classrooms, but not finding anything conspicuous to piece together the mystery of the blocked off areas. 

Harry looked somewhat puzzled as he entered one of the classrooms, which looked quite the same as before, though it was a bit cleaner than usual. After all, at the end of the block, it would probably revert to the old dusty self. Yet, what was it that made the classrooms get blocked off?

An inquisitive Harry posed this question to Professor McGonagall when they had their second Career Discussion the next day.

"Some things are just not meant to be disclosed, Mr Potter," said Professor McGonagall calmly. "Now back to your…"

"But Professor," interjected Harry, in a polite tone. "It must have been something that occurred recently, right? If not, why didn't Professor Dumbledore announce it at the very start of the year?"

"Well…"

"Is it to do with Lucius Malfoy? I think I saw him in the school grounds not too long ago," said Harry, trying to sound nonchalant.

"Mr Potter, you think too much. But perhaps curiosity would be a good trait to cultivate if you wanted to be an Auror," replied Professor McGonagall, flipping through a thick stack of brochures, though her mind flashed back to the Quidditch grounds where Lucius Malfoy had created a whole lot of chaos. "Mr Malfoy was only here to pay a visit to the Headmaster, as he always does in certain times of the year."

"He only comes when there's trouble."

Professor McGonagall stopped looking through the pile of papers. "May we just leave it at the fact that there was some trouble created by a particular school administrator whom we have sacked?"

"Was it that sly fellow always lurking behind Filch? The one who broke one of the Sneakoscopes intentionally?"

"I haven't heard about intentional damage to Sneakoscopes apart from the mischief wreaked by Peeves last term."

"Well, Dean said he saw that guy in the laboratory about a month ago, tampering with those instruments."

Professor McGonagall made a mental note of that. "Perhaps. Anyway the matter has been solved and…"

"Professor," gulped Harry, as he put down his quill from which he was writing down the possible things he had to accomplish before embarking on the route to being an Auror. "Could I ask – was that man sent by Voldemort?"

The Deputy Headmistress shuddered at the name, then composed herself. "I…I don't know, Mr Potter. I don't entertain such questions, really," and she went back to talking about Aurorship.

Even as Harry tried to absorb what McGonagall was saying, he couldn't help sensing that Voldemort had much more ambitious plans than to get rid of him. He wanted to cause havoc in Hogwarts, hurt the people around Harry, before getting to the main person himself…Harry's heart thumped faster as he processed this thought. It would mean a lot of unfortunate things were about to occur, but Harry had no idea what to expect, what to predict. And he was afraid – oh yes, very afraid…

* * *

She saw him come into the common room, minus the swagger. 

_Strange._

He walked across the couches, and then was about to go up the staircase.

"Hey Malfoy! My dad tells me you've gone to join 'em Death Eaters!"

"Such an uninformed twit! Malfoy's the _Junior Leader_ of them all!"

A chorus of "oohs" and "aahs" was generated. Draco's eyes flashed momentarily as he managed a weak smirk.

She wasn't about to miss that.

The noise quietened when Draco raised his hand.

"Don't talk about this. Ever. In front of me."

And he left for his dormitory.

She sat below, looking up at him disappearing past the bend to enter the boys' dormitory. And then she smiled, clicking a little as she whispered.

"Oh Draco…you mustn't be turning away you know…haven't you always liked to get rid of Potter? There's no use getting soft now, use your aggression…use your intelligence…it won't do you any good to make the Dark Lord angry, you know…"

And Pansy Parkinson gave a soft laugh, her eyelashes battering.


	13. Not My Thoughts!

**Disclaimer: **Sorry, all characters would have dearly - I mean - I would have dearly liked all characters to have been my creation, but alas! I am not as ingenious as Ms Rowling.

**Author's Note: **I am so sorry to have delayed for so long, I was caught up in a lot of competitions and examinations so hopefully this one will be a bit better. It's more Hermione-Draco interactions (albeit not physical haha) so have fun!

Yun Fei: I will be interested to know how Hermione will be of help too! Haha, Pansy will play a more visible role later on. Now she's only like this shadow at the moment. Ron is minding his own business at the moment; I think he's still sore from being ignored by Hermione. I couldn't leave Harry waiting too long so I had to put him in considering he IS the protagonist of Hogwarts. Ron will come back soon after he's finished being peeved. Hope you enjoy this one!  
witchyinuyashagurl: Thanks for reviewing! I'm glad you found it compelling. Yes food beckons to me too actually but I shall finish typing this first. Well...hope you will like this next (late) chapter!  
slytherin-kittycat: Something prevented me from reviewing your latest chapter but I shall do so soon enough when the system has recovered. Ooh Pansy is such a terror isn't she. I like her character better like that. This chapter she's a bit more clingy but there's still that hint of danger in her...haha. Enjoy!

* * *

The bell rang shrilly; students burst open their classroom doors – some in a flurry to settle down early in the best seats for the next class, some in a flurry to pop their heads in at the Owlery, some in a leisurely mood as they sauntered to their next class, while some merely shuffled along.

Hermione was one of those who were shuffling along, quite unheeding to the flurriness around her. Usually, she would have been one of _them_, rushing ahead to the next class to get the best seat where the teacher could be in full view of her enthusiastic waves. This time, she just had no mood to even speak. She was getting increasingly worried that she was starting to think about Draco almost every second of the day! It was so frustrating for her; she never liked Draco, but somehow with every thought of his that she could sense at certain times, she could not shake him off from her mind.

Draco, on the other hand, would have loved to be one of those shuffling folks, but with Pansy Parkinson chatting incessantly alongside him and dragging him along, he had to be upgraded to be of a decent pace. He was just thinking about yesterday's meeting with Granger, when – when she said she knew he was a Death-Eater. It hadn't struck him then; but he realised that his occasional flashes of thoughts that didn't seem to belong to him, had some connection to the fact that Granger could understand him somehow. She knew what was going on with him – he wasn't too bothered by that for some obscure reason. He seemed to know what it was like to be feeling something someone else felt…and it was a most uncomfortable feeling…

_Why am I thinking of him? Why am I thinking of him?_ That thought suddenly surfaced in Draco's mind. _Him?_ He stared incredulously ahead of him as he felt it jerk in his brain. I'm not thinking of a boy! Wait – he was – he was…and he looked back at the crowd of students moving towards the other end of the tower. He saw a bushy mane of brown hair somewhere in the midst and flinched. _Granger._ Without warning, another flow of thoughts came: _I don't like him! He's Harry's nemesis! He's been a horrible ferret for the last few years; why am I thinking about him? He can go and be a Death Eater for all I care – oh why do I have to CARE!_

Draco jerked a little, and it affected Pansy, who was hanging on his arm. Pansy raised her eyebrow as she stopped her chatter, analysing Draco's confused expression for a moment. Then she frowned.

"Draco, is anything the matter?"

Her sickly-sweet voice was enough to jerk Draco back to reality. "Yeah. Get on, we don't want to be late for Snape's class. He's got enough of those complaints about us."

"Aww Draco you know…"

What Pansy thought Draco knew, he never knew, because he was swept up in his own confusion again. He was hearing Granger's thoughts! And to add on to that, he could sense genuine misery and worry from her thoughts. It was as though…like she felt…she cared. Draco never really had anyone to care about him so genuinely. His father did care; but he was bound by the Dark Lord to torture his son. His mother was a weakling; she knew nothing about the things that happened around her. And his Slytherin friends were probably sucking up to him while secretly waiting for the day he would be dismissed as a mere weak creature so that they could be favoured by the Dark Lord. Yet, here was that Miss Know-It-All who was the _Potter boy_'s good friend, _caring_ for him. Draco just couldn't piece it altogether.

The Gryffindors and Slytherins gathered in Snape's class. His back was facing them, and he was heaving quite dramatically. There was an aura of uneasiness surrounding everyone. Whilst Snape was still distracted by what he was doing rather secretly away from them, Draco stole a glance at Hermione, who was in front of the class as usual, but her shoulders were sagging far more than usual. Then he stared back at Snape.

_Severus Snape. Their Potions teacher. That black cloak around him._

_That black cloak._

_It looked a bit blacker than usual. For some reason it looked bigger all of a sudden._

_I felt my eyebrows crease. Worry and anxiety had been knotting them together of late. I haven't had a chance to sleep well. Every night I would be thinking about how I should help him, when I can't. But when I go to sleep, I will dream of that thing. I will dream of how he would have killed Harry's parents. And Cedric. And I will dream of how he would bless his minions…with his curses. There's something in me. I don't know what. I don't want his life to be ridden with curses. I don't want his life to be ruled by that evil force. It's not worth it. However hateful he may be, Draco Malfoy is a decently clever guy who deserves to have his intelligence showcased in something else, not being a Death Eater! But oh why must I be afflicted with this ability to know Malfoy? I wished I just saw him as that evil, emotionless, insensitive creep he appeared to be since the start of our Hogwarts year. I wished he had never appeared to be so vulnerable such that I would enjoy it if I ever penetrated through his steel-like cover. I wished I had never seen him in the library that other day such that I never knew about the whole fiasco between the two Quidditch teams which happened because of his father. I know it. Even if McGonagall didn't say it, I know it. I know it wasn't just because Draco Malfoy told on Naomi about some stupid gum thing. It was Lucius' interference. He came that day. He must have said something about the Gryffindors and Naomi was forced to lie about it. But why did Draco lie? Why did he make me blame him? Oh sheesh, now I'm calling him Draco. No he's always Malfoy! Malfoy! But why I am doing this? Why am I feeling this way? Oh heaven help me! _

Suddenly Snape's cloak reverted to its original size.

Draco shook from head to toe as he tried to grasp back full control of his own senses.

"Mr Malfoy? You can sit."

Draco realised everyone around him had seated and was looking at him. He cleared his throat, tried to look fine, then sat down with a gracious air. But he was shaken by the whole truckload of thoughts that had just zoomed by. _I had felt myself in Granger's body staring at Snape, feeling her thoughts!_

Draco could not pay any more attention to the lesson. He touched his quill tentatively, then withdrew his hand. Then he turned his gaze to a red mop somewhere near the brown bushy curls.

The weasel.

But a cold precipice suddenly hit him full blast and he reeled from the impact, almost overbalancing from his chair. Luckily, he grabbed the sides of his table in time to avoid too much suspicion. He could feel Pansy looking at him at the corner of her eye, but he tried to calm down.

He couldn't do it. He couldn't harm Ron Weasley.

He knew if he did, he would be harming someone else. And he just didn't want to do anything to Ron. It was just…just so wrong.

_What have I been thinking? I was actually reveling in the pleasure of torturing that Weasel. I must be kidding myself! _Draco cursed under his breath. Maybe the Imperius Curse still had some lasting effects on him. _I was actually thinking of how to get rid of him in the library yesterday!_

Feeling helpless, he slumped back on his chair.

* * *

Hermione had zoned out halfway during Snape's lesson, something she would never do. But this time, it was either a combination of exhaustion and depression, or that she was just daydreaming. _Quite unlikely_, she thought, as she picked up her quill to copy down Snape's words. Yet somehow she felt like the monotonous typewriter, hardly processing the information at all as she scribbled down the words. There was – there was just something not right. She could sense it. 

Hermione hated the way she was being a psychic right now. She could hardly let out her feelings to her two good friends Harry and Ron because they would think she was nuts to be thinking about Draco Malfoy all the time, especially if the thoughts were that of pity and worry. Hermione could almost picture Ron going ballistic if he knew she was that "crazy" over him. Then again, he probably had that thought running through his head ever since the day she "protected" him over the Quidditch thing.

She snorted inwardly. Talk about the Quidditch thing! She just couldn't believe how lowdown Lucius Malfoy could stoop to. Fancy manipulating the situation to benefit his son's team. Yet if that was the case, Draco would have been blunt about it, airing the fact that his father was the powerful guy able to do anything. Why did he have to make her think that he was the one responsible for all the problems Gryffindor Quidditch had? And Hermione had a nagging feeling Draco was not at all pleased with his father's actions. She hadn't gone to sound Naomi out about the entire thing considering she was probably sworn to oath not to reveal Lucius' presence in the school, but she was quite sure this was the case because of the random flashes she was having…about Draco talking to his father…on the Quidditch pitch…a shouting match with Naomi…

_I'm going insane_ – Hermione shuddered as she gripped her quill. _I can see things through Malfoy's eyes. I can feel his emotions…I can read his memories. Why?_

But that was not the scariest thing bothering Hermione at the moment.

The scary thing was that, Hermione had a premonition. She hadn't had very accurate premonitions before, but this one was appealing to her so strongly she could hardly dismiss it.

Draco Malfoy was about to fail his first task, and he would have to pay dearly for it.


	14. Failure

**Disclaimer: **Harry Potter & Co. are in a different realm - they reside with their creator Ms Rowling, not me.

slytherin-kittycat: Thanks for your review! I'm glad you liked that chapter. I like endings that will provide more food for thought. So hope you enjoy this one! Now comes more action...I think I'm like one of the very few DMHG fanfic writers who let them interact so little at the start. It's all in the mind...haha...

* * *

"Draco?" 

He looked up. "What?"

She sat down beside him in a very gentle manner.

He felt exasperated. "Can you speak?"

"Well Draco, I thought it'd be nice to remind you your deadline is…"

"I know my own deadlines, thank you very much, when did I ever need your help!" Draco spat as he glared at a most alarmed Pansy. She leant backward a little when he glared, then recovered enough to continue being patient.

"Yes, but…"

Draco Malfoy turned again to look at her. It wasn't really a stare, nor was it a glare. Just – something cold, unfamiliar and … she just couldn't grasp that emotion in him.

"I know what I am doing, Parkinson. I don't need your interference."

"Suits me fine," replied Pansy, slightly coldly because her feelings were hurt. She got up, smoothened her cloak, then looked back at him. "I was just trying to be helpful. You know what the Dark Lord will do if you fail to comply. And you only have a couple more hours."

Then she stormed off.

But in her mind, the look in Draco's eyes was still etched in her mind. The way he had stared at her when she was about to remind him about the imminent deadline for his first task. The way…

It was…

Fear.

* * *

Harry sat at his window and looked out. He saw a few dots moving in the air across the lawn…probably the Ravenclaws were training. That reminded him of Cho. He sighed, not particularly tragically, but rather thoughtfully. Perhaps it was time he completely rid his mind of little trivial romances like these. They only served to waste time, and his first and last experience with it was certainly nothing like those fairytale like stories about love. In fact, he had grown rather disgusted reading such trashy novels and instead, focused on looking through his beloved Quidditch books. After all, it would occupy him for the rest of the month that Gryffindor was banned from the pitch.

_Completely ridiculous. _

Then Harry remembered about Draco Malfoy. His face just popped into his mind, and Harry frowned upon seeing the image of Malfoy smirking in front of him.

_Why do I care man. That boy is a complete jerk._

He got out of his reverie of staring at the Quidditch field, then walked out of the boys' dormitory, and into the common room. There was one lone figure sitting out there, whilst everyone was mostly out playing Quidditch, chatting with each other – just avoiding the common rooms because for some reason, it was just too hot to stay in the room. The wind outside was much cooler. Harry just didn't want to go out.

Who was this person who was an oddball as much as he was?

The lone figure was sitting in front of the fire. When the room was so hot!

Harry advanced, then stepped back in surprise. "Hermione?"

She turned, and Harry saw that she had been crying.

"Hermione!" He ran forward. She got up and ran towards him too. Both of them hugged, and Harry could feel the bushy locks around him shuddering every few minutes. He sensed something was really amiss, then held Hermione back at arm's length. Her eyes were no longer bright and cheery; the eyebags were obvious, and her cheeks were grubby.

"Hermione, what's wrong with you? Is it about Malfoy? Did he do anything to you?"

Hermione shook her tresses, then she brushed her eyes roughly. "Nothing."

"Hermione, what is it that you can't tell me, or Ron?" Harry was feeling exasperated. "We can always help you! Or…or we can tell Dumbledore or something…I mean, the threat of a Death…"

"Harry, we can't keep him out of Hogwarts…" whispered Hermione, as she held on to Harry's arms. "He…doesn't deserve this!"

"But Hermione…"

Suddenly, Hermione's eyes opened wide and looked glazed for a moment. She nearly fell, but Harry's arms held onto her tightly, supporting her. He stared in bewilderment as she shuddered a little; her body was so cold! Harry gasped and shook her hard, but she remained rigid – as if she had been Petrified. But in less than a few seconds, the heat came back into her body, then the hollow look in her eyes disappeared, leaving a very confused girl in front of him. Before he could say anything, Hermione tightened her grip on Harry, then looked at him very hard with large, pleading eyes.

"We must save him…"

With that, she tore out of his grasp, and ran out of the common room.

Harry stared for a while. Then he spun around and ran out, crying, "Wait for me, Hermione! WAIT!"

Hermione ran, and ran, and ran, huffing and puffing as she did.

All she knew was that she had to get there. NOW.

There was no time to lose. Run!

She ran with all her might, shoving past bewildered schoolmates.

_I can't let him do this!_

She ran along the corridors, past corners…

She ran past all the classrooms…

She ran out of the castle grounds, into the field…

She ran all the way…

Then she stopped.

In front of Hagrid's hut, there was Ron.

He was sitting on a stone, looking thoughtfully towards the Forbidden Forest.

Hermione heaved a sigh of relief.

Only to realise that there was somebody in the shadows of the bushes. Behind him.

Ron yawned, then continued to stare ahead. He pursed up his lips, then frowned. The last few days had been quite a turmoil for him. His father had just been sent for questioning at the Ministry of Magic for interfering with some Muggle items while on a spying task – and had been forcefully punished by a Muggle for it till he landed in St. Mungo's! What was the world coming to? Ron snorted inwardly. Things were just not looking up. And Hermione! He sighed. His good friend was behaving like a complete gargoyle lately. Stoning all day long; thinking about…that ferret! Ron clenched his teeth upon thinking about all the various nasty things Draco attempted to do before, and his evil, twisted mindset.

A breeze came by.

There was a slight rustle behind. Ron sighed again.

The air was still.

_Rustle._

Ron spun around.

Nothing.

Ron looked skeptically at the masses of leaves behind him.

Then he turned back, facing the Forbidden Forest again. The greenery seemed to be some kind of mental painkiller at the moment.

Suddenly, he felt something behind. He didn't turn around this time, though he took deeper breaths. He felt something moving…something advancing…Ron put his hand into his pocket…ready to turn around…

"EXPELL – " POP!

Ron stared as he swung around, wand pointing out to emptiness. A look of confusion spread over his face, as he looked dazedly at the bushes in front of him. It was then that he saw a piece of cloth stuck on the bushes. He leant forward and plucked it off the leaves, fingering it carefully. A look of disgust replaced the confusion on his countenance. A piece of thick black cloth – with a silky green underside.

"Ferret!" hissed Ron.

Hermione clapped her hands over her mouth.

She couldn't believe what she had seen. It was so…so terribly frightening…yet, yet…_why?_

She stepped back, stumbled a little.

Then she turned around and ran all the way back into the castle grounds.

* * *

Draco stumbled into his room, gasping, coughing discreetly. But the pain in his eyes was unmistakeable; his whole body throbbed with pain, and he could barely move any more. An attempt to sit on his bed ended up with a flat throw of his entire weight on the sheets. Thankfully, the Slytherin boys were sound sleepers, so they would not hear his groans and uncomfortable movements.

He straightened himself on the bed, then winced as another shock of pain ran through his usually-sturdy body. He coughed terrifically, feeling the blood rise up even to his nose, which was sore. He could feel his joints weakening…his limbs being covered by a sense of numbness…and all he could see above him were exploding coloured dots, and flashes of images…his face – or what was his projection of a face…

_"Well, well…"_

_Draco made his way to the centre of the hallway, silent._

_"Young Master Draco Malfoy."_

_At the side, a fuming Lucius Malfoy was pacing up and down. Was it worry in his eyes? Or was it all just a performance?_

_"So. How have you done?"_

_Draco glared at the floor, refusing to speak._

_"Do not test my patience."_

_Pansy stared at him, longing to run over to hug him. Then she decided to be bold. "My Lord, he…"_

_"Silence!" The hooded figure turned around, a menacing expression dripping with contempt, causing Pansy to back away in terror. "I do not need a useless fool like you to interfere!"_

_Then he turned back to the quivering Draco, who was attempting to look strong despite the fear enshrouding his soul._

_"Draco Malfoy. Report to me."_

_Draco finally lifted up his head. The Dark Lord saw the fear in his eyes…intertwined with a strong determined look. "I have failed."_

_There was a contemptuous snort. "You have failed? Did you try, my dear boy?"_

_"Please, My Lord, he is only but a – "_

_"A child?" The Dark Lord's tone tingled with spiteful amusement as he glared at the shaking Lucius Malfoy. "Was that what you told me, Lucius? Was that what you told me at the initiation ceremony? I doubt it, really. My memory has yet to fail me. This is the young man I put in charge of all my servants because I trusted he would give his best and that he was mature enough to understand my motives…and he has failed the first task!" Lord Voldemort laughed loudly and evilly as he turned to Draco, his tone now dripping with mockery. "And I thought that carrot head of a Weasley was your enemy…"_

_"My…My Lord." Draco swallowed hard to fight the bitterness that arose as he called the Dark Lord. "I just…cannot."_

_"FOOL!" Lord Voldemort's voice lost its sarcasm, and became bitterly outraged. "You are a scumbag! I trusted you and you have failed me miserably! You are nothing more than a coward!"_

_Then he strode up to Draco and forced him to look up by gripping his chin roughly. "You know what happens when my minions fail me?"_

_Draco looked defiantly at the figure. Was there a face? Yes. But was there a soul? He could hardly decipher. "They die."_

_The Dark Lord shook Draco off his grip and Draco fell to the floor. "I believe there is potential in you, Draco Malfoy. I don't like to be shown that my judgement fails me. On account of Lucius' work, as well as your supposed commitment and abilities, I will let you off the death hook. You will not give me a repeat of such an atrocious attitude!"_

_Draco bowed, but he could not speak up. _

_The Dark Lord raised his wand._

_"But my Lord, you said…" Lucius tried to sound professional despite his growing fear._

_"I said no death. I did not say no punishment. No minion escapes torture for his incompetence!"_

_And Draco stared at the wand tip pointed towards him._

_"CRUCIO!"_

Draco closed his eyes, trying to ignore the sharp currents of pain that electrocuted his nerves terribly. But when he closed his eyes, he would see the twisted expression on the figure's face…he would hear the cries of Lucius…he would hear the words of the Dark Lord…he would hear his own cries from being hit by the Cruciatus Curse…and most of all, he would hear Hermione's worries being spoken aloud in his tormented mind.


	15. Girls!

**Disclaimer: **The characters in this fic are solely based on the creative imagination of J.K.Rowling and I have really nothing to do with their sudden teenage angsting and whatsoever, really.

slytherin-kittycat: Sorry for taking so long to update...I'm glad you enjoyed the previous chapter - here comes more turmoil. Haha...

* * *

"Hermione, I think you should put your books away for at least _now_," insisted Ron, tugging at her robe sleeve. "Honestly, the sky is just AWESOME for a Quidditch game."

"If it's for Quidditch, all the more I won't go," muttered Hermione, her nose buried in her book, but her mind was elsewhere…thinking of…

"Ron's right," said Harry, firmly. "You shouldn't be cooping yourself in here and thinking weird things."

"What weird things?" asked Hermione, absent-mindedly.

Harry and Ron exchanged despairing looks, then Harry ventured to try again. "You know…like things about other people that you really shouldn't be thinking about…I mean…"

"What about being a _bit_ more direct?" demanded Ron, suddenly. "How about someone furry, with a rather irritating nose poking into our affairs and ruining things and making a mess out of us and you in particular and has this really annoying tail that keeps…"

"How about being a _bit_ more direct and just telling me to stop getting tangled up with Malfoy's affairs?" Hermione's tone was dangerous, her eyes still fixated on the moving pictures in her book.

"There you have it," announced Ron, straightening himself. "She knows it."

"But Hermione," said Harry, worriedly. "If you know it, why are you tormenting yourself? I mean. Look at your moods. One moment you're crying bitterly, one moment you're getting so mad with us…"

"Crying!" Ron's eyes bulged. "What the hell were you doing crying!"

"I thought it was always in you that girls cry a hell lot," said Hermione, coolly, but uncharacteristically nasty.

"Hermione," and Harry reached out to take the book out of her hands. Surprisingly she cooperated so well that Harry nearly dropped the book in the gentle way he was trying to retrieve it from her. Frowning, he took her hands and gently turned her towards the two of them. Her eyes were fixed at where her book originally was. "We need you to tell us what's going on between you and Malfoy. Or at least what's happening to you that concerns him."

"How about," paused Hermione. "What's happening to him that concerns me."

Harry and Ron exchanged looks again. This time, it was a more puzzled look.

"So?" pressed Ron, but Harry put his hand on his arm.

Hermione didn't talk for a long time, so the two boys just sat there, not very patiently, but trying their best to accommodate their best friend's emotions. Finally, she tilted her head up so that her eyes met them. Harry stared at them, and for the first time, he could feel a sense of helplessness radiating from them…it was not often that Hermione was at a loss for anything…she was all-knowing, she knew exactly what to do, what was the _right_ thing to do, and yet, here she was, looking…

"I don't know what's happening to me," she said at last, looking away again, this time facing the common-room window. "I…"

"Hey pals!"

Lee Jordan's cheerful voice filled the quiet room as he sauntered in. Then he stared at the trio in the middle of the room. Harry and Ron looked annoyed, while Hermione just continued staring at the window.

"Hey where's everyone?"

"Probably walking around? It's damn good weather," said Ron, in a rather nasty manner, but Harry gave him a warning look. "You might want to go join them."

"Then why aren't you guys? Not like you to sit here and listen to Miss Granger tell stories or somethin'. Thought you'll be up in the air having a good game of Quidditch," remarked Lee, casually. Ron nearly said "duh" but Harry butted in calmly. "We're having some light banter here."

"Light eh?" Lee could already sense the tension in the room. "Say I'll give you light. Guess what I heard along the corridor."

"What? Neville got himself tangled up in some bush?"

"How about nothing to do with us Gryffindors for once?" grinned Lee. "It's them Slytherins."

Hermione gave a slight jerk, while Ron's face twitched.

"What's wrong?" asked Harry, calmly.

"Two year threes huddling together, thinking they were having some private conversation. Heard them saying how it was a major whammy that Malfoy got himself all bruised and crazed up in the room – stuck in the dormitory and won't come out 'cos he's black and blue all over."

"Black and blue!" Ron gasped, disbelievingly, but Hermione's hands gripped the chair as her eyes continued to face the window.

"Yeah," said Lee, enjoying himself thoroughly, oblivious to Hermione's pain. "Completely whacked up. Think it's time he got some payback, seriously. But it's real queer. Like he just went out in the night and came back like some injured dog or something. I'll bet a Galleon he'll be up and about sooner or later, Malfoy's one tough nut, but I think he ought to taste some of his own medicine – or whatever that saying is."

Harry eyed Hermione, whose face seemed to be contorted with despair. "I think…maybe we would like to have some erm private time together, yeah?"

"Fine with me," mumbled Lee. "Take care man. All those gloomy faces."

And he left.

The boys turned to Hermione.

"This sounds serious, Hermione," whispered Harry. "You have to tell us!"

"You don't always have to act the hero, Harry, sometimes things are beyond your control…" the whisper issuing from Hermione's lips was so faint, so weak.

"Hermione, this is not acting the hero!" Ron pleaded. "You're getting yourself all sick and Malfoy isn't any better!"

"What happens…" she whispered, face towards the sunlight flooding in through the window. "When you can hear other people's thoughts…_in your head_?"

Ron gasped. Harry looked grim. "You can hear Malfoy's thoughts?"

"What happens if…" she looked dreamy, yet haggard. "If you can even feel it in your heart? Like when the person cries?"

"Hermione…"

"What if you are able to know what will happen next! To him!" Hermione was getting agitated, her eyes glistening with tears. "Knowing what dreadful thing will occur and make him feel pain which I feel inside too! What if you are able to know all these but you can't even help!"

"Oh god…"

"Hermione!" Harry whispered fiercely. "What is it that you know about Draco Malfoy!"

"I…I can't tell…" she sank back into the chair, hands reaching out for her face before gripping her cheeks. "I…I really can't…"

"But what's wrong – I mean how can Hermione know all these!" Ron looked bewildered. "Blimey it's no joke! Hearing other people's…"

"Hermione, why haven't you _told _Dumbledore!" Harry shook her urgently. The tears just came rolling down her cheeks faster, as she shook her head stubbornly. "I can't! I can't!"

"Why not?"

"You know Draco…he's…he's become a Death Eater?"

"Yes Hermione, you told us that. But Dumbledore isn't even flinching at that, why are you so worried to tell him?"

"Because if he knew…if…if he knew what Draco was…is…going to be made to do…at every stage…he would…he would expel him!"

"Oh heavens this is not the time to worry about expulsion of that ferret!" Ron argued, but Harry interjected. "What is Malfoy made to do?"

Suddenly, Hermione went all rigid. Her eyes turned glassy, and the two boys, startled, backed away a little. She gripped the chair so tightly her veins seem to protrude from her fists. _It hurts, it hurts…I can't do this…why are they making me do this! If…if I can't get the Weasel…then I must find someone easier. Someone easier…the girl? But no…she's good friends, good…friends with…her._

Her? Hermione strained a little. Who's _her_?

_I can't find the elder ones around. Deal them a blow. No. I can't. Hell._

Hermione bit her lip, ignoring the presence of the bewildered Harry and Ron. What if…

_Draco…Draco, can you hear me?_

There was no sound. Hermione tried again.

_Draco! Can you hear me!_

Suddenly, an explosion of noise burst out in her head. She gripped her skull hard till her knuckles turned white. Harry rushed forward, but she put out her hand to stop him. He retreated, looking completely dazed.

_What the hell!_

_Draco, I know you can hear me._

_So it's the Mudblood. Shut up. I don't need your advice._

_Draco, stop being egoistic at this point in time. You're hurting my head with that sneer._

_Then don't bother, Granger._

_Draco Malfoy. I know you have a task._

_I don't need your help!_ The desperate note in his voice was evident, but he tried to conceal it with his rage and spite. _I don't need your pity. Stop thinking you're so damn smart, you know everything about me. I'm telling you, you DON'T._

Hermione's tears had not stopped rolling down her cheeks.

_Please, Draco…_

_Since when were we on a first name basis, Granger?_

_Don't do it, Draco. Don't._

_Do what!_

Hermione looked at Ron, who was completely clueless as to why she was suddenly staring at him. _Hurt the Weasleys. Don't._

Draco Malfoy sat on his bed, wincing as the voice throbbed in his head. _Don't_. It compounded the pain that was engulfing his body every second with every slight movement he made. Of course he knew Hermione would have said that. He didn't want to either. As much as Draco would love to be sly and cruel and scheming, he knew better than to overstep the line. He couldn't deal them a blow at all. He could cause Weasley's exams to screw up or something, but that wouldn't be big enough a blow. He knew very well the Dark Lord wanted the blow to be a _death_. And he couldn't bring himself to do it.

_Shut up, Granger. When did I say I was going to!_

_I know Draco. I know he asked you to kill them._

_He didn't. Don't act smart._

_He implied it. Please Draco, don't do it…I beg you. Ron hasn't done anything wrong!_

Draco gritted his teeth as another wave of excruciating pain rippled through his body. "Why the hell didn't you give me a better task to do! Why the hell did you make _me_ do your dirty jobs!" He whispered fiercely as he gripped the bedsheets. "Why the hell am I your slave, your minion!" He closed his eyes. "I don't want to serve you!"

"What a pity, really," said a voice behind him.

Draco spun around, this time ignoring the pain that shot up in his elbow as he did. He stared in disgust at the figure standing in the doorway. "Pansy Parkinson. Who gave you the permission to enter!"

"Nobody," she said, airily, arms folded. "I came to see how you were doing. Just heard a bit of what you said though…"

"Shut up Parkinson, I don't need your…" He trailed off, thinking how familiar that sentence sounded. Yet "advice" didn't sound anything like what Pansy was giving right now. "Just get out, will you. I need some peace."

"I can offer you an easier way out," whispered Pansy, batting her eyelids.

Something in Draco stirred, but he didn't flinch.

"I can assure you the Dark Lord will be pleased, even if it is not accomplishing your task outright…" she smiled. "I know you don't want to murder – not in this compound where you wish to remain an anonymous Death Eater."

Draco tried to remain calm, but his heart skipped a beat.

"Draco…" Pansy put a tentative hand on his shoulder.

He shrugged her hand off.

"_I can do it for you._"

Draco jerked, then suddenly retreated to the other end of the bed. "What the hell are you talking about, Parkinson?"

"I said, I can help you do it," she smiled, twirling her hair around her fingers. "But only this one time. In fact, I can make the Weasleys fall into a deeper abyss of pain that they could ever imagine…"

It was…tempting to accept her offer. He wouldn't have to kill then. It would…all be _Pansy's _fault.

Draco lowered his head, wincing a little at the pain in his neck where a big purple bruise was.

"It's always the first task that is the hardest. Subsequently, you'll find it easier…and perhaps, _more enjoyable_ to finish up the rest…"

Silence.

"I suppose…" Pansy looked at Draco, with a glint in her eye. "Silence means consent?"

_What are you thinking now, Draco? Are you still thinking of doing the wrong thing?_

_Shut up Granger! Stop preaching to me!_

"Draco?"

"Girls are a useless bunch of meddlesome fools!" Draco yelled suddenly, glaring pointedly at Pansy before he stormed out of his room, ignoring the pain shooting up in his limbs, leaving a rather bewildered Pansy behind.

The bewilderment on Pansy's face soon melded into that of disgust.

"He's a coward. Oh yes, he's a coward. You made me do it, Draco…_you made me do it…_"


	16. Mission Accomplished

**Disclaimer: **All characters belong to J.K.Rowling; or else I wouldn't be sitting here and mugging my head off instead of twiddling my thumbs at my desk watching the millions in my bank account grow exponentially.

slytherin-kittycat: I'm so sorry I was so slow in updating! I had a week of exams which terrorised me from the beginning of the month as well as a concert to prepare for so I never got down to updating. Here comes the next chapter! I bet you forgot the story after so long hahaha...  
unhingedintellectual: Thanks for the correction! Sorry!

* * *

When Hermione next met Draco, it was in Arithmancy class. 

She meant to avoid him.

She really wanted to avoid him.

But it seemed almost inevitable that she _had_ to see him – because both of them were too wrapped up in their own thoughts – and then realised right at the end that there were only two seats left for them, side by side, whilst everyone was looking at them queerly.

"Mr Malfoy? Miss Granger? May I begin?" the Professor inquired sweetly. Draco grunted, while Hermione breathed deeply and nodded, attempting to plaster an earnest smile on her face. It was clear neither of them were ready for the lesson.

_Shut up Granger. I know what you are going to say._

_And what is that?_

_Don't you dare preach to me in the middle of – _

_Who said I was going to preach to you? If you insist on doing the wrong thing, how can I stop you?_

_Oh yeah? You'll go tell the Potter boy and the Weasel and all three of you will come to hex me in the dark of the night…_

Hermione gripped her quill, eyes flashing. _Don't push it, Malfoy._

_Who's the one pushing it?_ Draco felt a gleeful smile arising, but he suppressed it. He didn't know why he was feeling particularly mean to Hermione, but he just wanted to taunt her. Maybe – maybe it was the Dark Mark at work…

"Mr Malfoy? Could you answer this question?"

Draco blinked, and the blurry blackboard became clear in an instant. "Uhh…"

Hermione raised her hand, shooting Draco a smug look.

"Miss Granger, I said Mr Malfoy."

Hermione's face fell, and Draco couldn't help smirking while he replied in a laid-back manner.

_Too bad Granger. Things don't always have to turn out your way, you know._

_I'm trying to help you Malfoy! Is the Death Eater mindset setting in or something._

Something clicked in Draco.

Behind Hermione, she heard a loud THUMP! And when she turned around, she saw Draco Malfoy standing up, eyes blazing, his books scattered on the floor and table overturned, while the rest of the class gasped in horror. The Professor gave a terrified squeal, but Draco remained unfazed, his eyes fixed on Hermione, who was trying to remain as calm as possible (but failing).

"Don't you mess with my affairs, or I swear…"

Hermione glared at him, tears threatening to spill out from her eyes in her rage.

With that, Draco swung his cloak behind him and stomped out of class, leaving everyone to gape after him, and Hermione to look after him with a pained expression.

---

"So I heard, Draco. It is unlike you to be fooling around in Arithmancy class…" Snape drummed his fingers on his office table in an annoyed manner. "I will not hear of such behaviour from a Slytherin student ever again, do you hear me?"

"Yes, sir." Draco didn't sound the least bit repentant; he was still boiling inside.

"If you have any problems Draco…" Snape cleared his throat, for he was not good at any form of psychological talk. "You could always share them…"

"Yes, sir," grunted Draco, and Snape knew there was no use talking to the boy anymore.

"Dismissed!" He barked with a wave of his hand, and Draco trudged out, face contorted in anger.

However, the scowl left his face as puzzlement replaced it, while he leant against the railing to watch the staircases of Hogwarts swivel around in the central area of the school. _Why was I so angry…I can usually take this kind of rubbish…what made me so angry?_

His eyes narrowed onto three bobbing heads on one of the staircases. Granger was smiling once more, but he could tell it was a troubled smile. Did the two idiots beside her not realise their friend wasn't happy at all? Harry was still laughing with Ron, and Hermione was merely smiling…as though to please them.

_The irritating Mudblood…she should just keep to her own affairs!_

But it was with that thought, that light suddenly dawned upon Draco. The reason why he was so angry about this whole situation…why he was so reluctant to kill Ron, why he was so angry with Pansy for meddling, why he hated Hermione for sticking her nose into his affairs – was simply because he didn't want her to be involved. He didn't want Hermione Granger to be brought into the affairs of the dark side, to be a pawn in the game of the Dark Lord.

He didn't want her to be hurt.

---

Draco was not happy to realise that he was thinking that way. _She's a Mudblood!_ He reminded himself sternly, as he approached the Slytherin common room. However, a few steps away, he felt a sense of repulsion from the door. The snake in the painting hissed slyly at him, but he backed away instead.

"Why Mr Malfoyy…" hissed the snake. "Don't you want to come innn?"

"Shut up!" snapped Draco, as he turned around and began to walk away, only to see the figure of Pansy Parkinson walking towards him, smiling coyly.

"Get out of my way, Parkinson!" snarled Draco, who definitely wasn't in the best of moods to be chatting with Pansy.

"Oh why the hostility?" Pansy batted her eyelids. "I've come to tell you good news…"

That didn't strike Draco as a wonderful thing. "What the hell did you do Parkinson? Stick your ugly spotted nose into things and meddled with them?"

Pansy's smile faded and was replaced by a scowl. "Is this what I get in return for helping you?"

Suddenly, Draco felt fear pumping into his heart. "What did you do?"

Pansy began to laugh, but her laughter was filled with such menace that Draco began to get agitated. "What the hell did you do!"

"Oh…" she tittered girlishly. "I merely helped you to well…settle some longtime foe of yours…well it's not the one with the scar though – such a pity. I wasn't able to reach him. But I suppose Carrots works well enough?"

With that, Pansy gave a soft laugh, and the snake painting swung aside to let her in.

As she brushed past Draco, she whispered in his ear. "You owe me one."

And she laughed again, before disappearing behind the painting.

The painting swung back.

Draco stood in the middle of the dungeons, hardly breathing.

What the…

He didn't know what to do. His mind was telling him that he should go find out what Pansy had done, but yet something else was lying beneath that thought…

_Don't go. She has helped you. She has gotten rid of that useless creature. You will be well rewarded by the Dark Lord._

Rewarded?

_DRACO!_

The sudden shout in his head brought exploding dots to his vision as he reeled from the impact of the decibels. _What the – _

_Draco! What have you done!_

_Granger? What's wrong?_ Draco felt his voice suddenly twist into that of concern, and he didn't like it.

_Malfoy you disgusting git! Why is Ron unconscious! _

_Ron? Unconscious?_ Draco suddenly felt light dawn upon him. _Pansy!_

_Now you're putting the blame on others! Oh Ron Ron don't die! Don't!_

Die. Granger had said the word "Die".

Draco felt the impact of that single word hit him squarely in the face, and he fell backwards in a trance, not noticing the ceiling was soon in his vision – and his head, a sudden BANG…

---

"Now Mr Malfoy, don't move, you've might got yourself a concussion…" Madam Pomfrey bustled about him, running the various medicinal bottles about. "Not good for your nervous system – but a dose or two will do…"

"Madam Pomfrey!" Draco sat up almost immediately despite her horrified look, and winced when pain shot up to his head.

"Mr Malfoy! Lie down at once!"

Draco found himself obeying her. "Madam Pomfrey, do you know where is Ronald Weasley?"

"Funny you should ask about him…" Madam Pomfrey eyed the Slytherin boy suspiciously, causing a flaming sensation to rise in Draco's face. "But oh the dear dear boy…he's not very good indeed! Seems to have faced some form of Stunning Hex and is in what I might think could be a Permanent Hex if not for the fact it was cast by a juvenile…"

"Juvenile?"

"Poor thing really. Must have incurred the wrath of some silly child…" and her eyes narrowed even further to Draco. "And that child can come from only one house…which specialises in the dark arts…"

"Mind what you say, Madam Pomfrey!" Draco felt the hostility come back.

"Whatever, Mr Malfoy. Just don't get up to any tricks around here."

Before she went, Draco still didn't feel very comfortable. "Madam Pomfrey, is he…is he…"

"Dead?" Madam Pomfrey finished the question. "I told you he is Stunned! But very slim chance of recovery. Wide-eyed, stiff, lying there like the last time the Basilisk did damage to our students…his friends are really hysterical over it…especially the poor girl. Now I always thought the two of them were…" she paused thoughtfully, then sighed. "What a pity."

And she went off, leaving Draco to sit in his bed motionlessly.

He could hear someone whispering not far away.

"Ron? Ron? Wake up. Stop stoning like that. It's bad for your eyes…"

"Hermione, it won't do any good."

"Ron?"

Draco could sense something sour in his throat, but he swallowed it back, prompting him to feel even more ill than ever. Snuggling back under his blankets, he closed his eyes, trying to shut out the voices around him…including one that said "_Well done…well done…you have accomplished your first mission…indeed, my true loyal minion…"_


	17. Painful Looks

**Disclaimer: **All characters belong to Ms Rowling only - and sadly.

Silverbunnie: Thank you so much! That comment meant a lot to me I'll try my best to come up with a "successful" story then!  
KMcNeely: Alright then here's the next chapter...thanks for reviewing!  
hiddenraindrops-kitsune: Thank you! Hope you enjoy this chapter )  
slytherin-kittycat: There! I updated ) Thanks for your review!  
midnight'blue'raven: Haha I hope too! Thank you for reviewing!

* * *

Hermione sat beside the hospital bed, holding onto Ron's hand and putting it close to her cheek. Tears started to well up in her eyes as she looked at the Stunned look on her friend's face.

"Ron? Ron? Wake up. Stop stoning like that. It's bad for your eyes…" her voice trailed off as she felt a lump in her throat.

Harry, who had been staring at the window - his face clearly stricken with pain - looked down at Hermione and awkwardly put out a hand to stroke her bushy curls. "Hermione…"

"Ron?… Oh Ron…wake up!…"

"Hermione, it's a Stunning Hex, it'll take a while."

She shook her head. "This is all my fault. I should have known better than to irk Malfoy. I should have known better than to…it's my fault Ron is lying here…" and she bit her lip to stop herself from crying out loud. Now the image of Ron on the hospital bed became blurry as the images of what happened earlier resurfaced clearly…

---

"Hermione, we…sort of heard about what happened in Arithmancy just now…"

"You can get to the point," said Hermione simply, not looking Ron in the eye as the trio sat together for dinner.

"As in – what the hell happened between you and Malfoy again!"

Ron's sentence culminated into something a bit of a yell as he glared at Hermione, while Harry tried to calm his agitated friend down. "I mean, seriously, first you're covering up his stupid stuff at our Quidditch ban – and _by the way_, Gryffindor's losing points like crazy cos we can't even compete in last week's Quidditch match – "

"You can play starting from next week."

"Hermione Granger that is not my point!" Ron began to turn purple. "And then you zone out all the time because that stupid ferret became a Death Eater – and now he blows up in Arithmancy class because…because…"

"What happened, Hermione?" Harry asked gently, but his tone was urgent. His patience with his good friend was wearing out, especially since she had kept so many things from them. Sometimes he wondered, he wondered if…

"I don't know," confessed Hermione. "I'm really going crazy nowadays…I – I sort of can hear Draco's thoughts in my head…and it – it really hurts. I – I don't know what to do, Harry, it's hurting my head so badly – but I can still hear him…" her eyes suddenly grew wide. "And he…he can talk to me! And…and I talked to him too…"

"So now what? Telepathy?" Ron snorted vehemently, but Harry put his hand on Ron's arm. "Go on, Hermione."

"And…and I told him not…not to be a Death-Eater…" Suddenly Hermione wanted to tell her best friends everything, everything that she had bottled up inside for the past few weeks; everything that had hurt her so badly and robbed her brain of all sanity for the past few weeks. "He told me to shut up…I…"

"What's new?" Ron grunted, but Harry eyed him annoyedly.

"He…he suddenly became mad in Arithmancy – I pushed it…I was so angry with him…because, because…" And then Hermione stopped, eyes still wide, but brimming with tears.

"Because what?" Ron asked impatiently.

"Nn-nothing."

"What are you hiding from us?" Ron glared at her.

"Nn-no. He…He just got mad and then you know what happened."

Ron still looked suspicious, but Harry looked at Hermione seriously. "Hermione, why didn't you tell us all this before?"

"I was too confused…I…I didn't know what to do…" and she closed her wet eyes, feeling the water trickle down her hot cheeks.

"Alright, alright, don't think about it anymore," said Harry, hastily, but Ron interjected. "You know what this means, Hermione, you know this means one day Draco Malfoy will come up to Harry and cast all kinds of curses on him…including the Avada – "

"Knock it off, Ron!" Harry cried, sternly, but Ron ignored him. "And you know that he'll eventually kill us all at Hogwarts under the command of You-Know-Who and you know that he'll probably usurp You-Know-Who to become the most powerful dark wizard and you know…"

"That's enough, Ron!" Harry shouted, and the whole Hall turned to look at them. Hermione stared at her food, unmoving. Ron, who had agitated himself into standing up, sat down in a huff, his face burning with anger. Harry felt his face flush red with embarrassment as the whole Hall was staring at them now.

After a while, the focus went back to the food on the table, and Harry recovered himself to speak. "Now whatever it is, I don't want you two to be fighting at this time. Hermione – Ron's right – Draco Malfoy is a dangerous person in Hogwarts now, and we can't have you too near him…"

"Do you think I want to?" Hermione looked up, incredulous.

"No, no, that's not what I meant. As in you should try not to reciprocate any form of communication he initiates with you, much less you try to communicate with him. He is our enemy now that he works for…"

Harry's voice broke as he came to the name, and Ron put an arm around his friend awkwardly. "Sorry Harry, I didn't mean to get so worked up. And you shouldn't start thinking about all this."

"Shouldn't?" Harry laughed bitterly. "Every year I meet him. What are the odds this year's an exception? Furthermore, he's gotten someone in our school to be his minion. I am fated to meet him. And – I will have to take revenge." Harry uttered the last phrase with so much determination, yet it was laced with bitter pain. Hermione closed her eyes once again. "I'm sorry too Harry, I really shouldn't have started this whole thing."

"It's not your fault," said Harry, picking up his fork and putting it down again. "Voldemort is coming up with some kind of plan again, that's why he chose Malfoy to be his minion. He wants to infiltrate Hogwarts. Do you remember when the school had to close part of the compound but never told us why?"

"I remember," said Ron. "What happened?"

"I asked Professor McGonagall a few days after it happened," said Harry, his face grim. "All she could tell me was that the school sacked one of our handymen because of it. And it was no small matter, something to do with the alteration of some potions and equipment that could have been potentially lethal. My guesses are that this handyman was no other than another of those sinister minions of Voldemort."

Ron choked. "Are you sure?"

"A week later, Lucius Malfoy came to Hogwarts."

Harry and Ron stared at Hermione. "What?"

"I saw him at the gate of Hogwarts. I think he went to see Professor Dumbledore," said Hermione, quietly.

"Blimey, whatever for?" Ron stared.

"Chances are the handyman was linked to Lucius Malfoy then," Harry lowered his volume when a few other students started to look a bit interested in their conversation. "They might have planted the handyman in the school to be an added spy, especially in terms of staff and Forbidden Areas, since Draco Malfoy would be unable to enter those areas. And – the other day, Professor Nell – "

"Professor Nell?" Ron looked disgusted. "You talk to that old fogey? I suspect he's just full of rubbish and comes to class to spout them all out at us!"

"Let Harry finish," said Hermione, and Ron glared at her once again. She said nothing.

"I just happened to be nearby and he started the conversation," said Harry, a little defensively. "And he was telling me that the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom there was in mayhem. As in serious mayhem; the creatures were all let loose and tearing at parchments and pulling down equipment; it was just thankful he had cast a spell on the doors and windows of the classroom to prevent these creatures from escaping."

"An attempt to mess Hogwarts up…" Ron scowled. "And now they get Malfoy Junior."

Mentioning Draco in such a spiteful manner suddenly stirred up something in Hermione, and she gripped her utensils so tightly her knuckles turned white. Harry and Ron stared in alarm as her fists shook so badly she looked like she was having spasms. "Hermione…?"

"Stop talking about this. Stop talking about _him._ I don't want to hear anymore!"

Ron suddenly felt something rise in him too. "And why don't you want to? You have a guilty conscience or something? I bet you're still hiding things from us! Stop shielding that git will you, Hermione, don't be a fool!"

Hermione suddenly looked up and the two boys were taken aback to see them blazing. "Yes! I AM a fool to shield him all the time you two try to take him down! I AM a fool to keep talking to him when I know what potential danger he poses! I AM…"

"Hermione…" Harry tried to calm her down, seeing that the Hall was once again interested in their affairs being publicised, but to no avail.

"I know I've been a stupid fool all this while, so just give me a break will you! I can't take it anymore!"

"Neither can I!" cried Ron, in a fit of rage, and stomped out of the Hall, leaving the rest of the Hall to gape at him, while Harry sat there, white and helpless, watching Hermione bury her head in her arms on the table and sobbing uncontrollably.

---

As Hermione saw the Stunned figure of Ron lying on the hospital bed, she regretted so badly. She regretted making him worked up and stomping out of the Hall without Harry and her…she regretted making him so angry he was probably past the level of rationality…and going out there…getting Hexed by most likely a Slytherin…

But in her despair, she couldn't believe it was Draco Malfoy who did it.

She couldn't…

_I have to meet him tonight. Damn it. I don't want to be given recognition for something I didn't do, I didn't want to do – bloody hell. Damn Parkinson. And what the hell am I doing here listening to that Mudblood preach silly love words to that Weasel. I'm getting out of here._

A deep, pain-laced growl.

And the curtain opposite flung open.

Hermione jerked. Harry spun around.

Draco Malfoy stared at them.

"Malfoy…" Harry's eyes narrowed into slits, his hand ready to dip into his pocket for his wand.

"Potter!" spat Draco.

"You…" Hermione's lips trembled.

"Mr Malfoy! Have you got out of bed! You naughty boy, you're NOT well yet!"

"Whatever, Madam Pomfrey, I've more important things to do than to lie there and rot in your prison beds!" Draco barked, then glared back at Harry and Hermione, then finally his eyes rested on the Stunned Ron lying on the bed.

_Why….why did you do this…_

Draco looked at Hermione. Her eyes were filled with pain and bitterness.

"Malfoy, you…"

And Draco left the room, ignoring Harry's threats and Madam Pomfrey's shouts echoing behind him, with only the image of Ron lying motionless on the bed, with the pain-stricken Hermione sitting beside him imprinted in his line of vision, with only Hermione's whispers of incredulity in his ears…hurting him…


	18. Intuition

**Disclaimer: **J.K. Rowling has the privilege of owning all the characters below, but Professor Nell and his quirky pets are free to sit in my computer screen.

jessika black / queenofthelameos: Thank you for your reviews! Very appreciated )

* * *

"Professor?"

A hefty cough was heard. "Come in."

Harry pushed open the door and stepped tentatively into the office. A random flying object immediately came whizzing past him, causing him to jump back.

"Relax, boy, that's only a Malgrewt. It won't hurt you."

"A…what?"

"Malgrewt. Flying rat."

_Flying rat! _Harry couldn't help feeling bemused. _Whatever next!_

"What did you come to see me about?" Professor Nell's gruff voice came from behind the stacks of parchment piled messily on his desk. Harry liked that about him; he wasn't one of those straight-iffy teachers who insisted on discipline and order – he had absolutely no airs and was straight to the point.

"Well, Professor, you were saying something the other day about the mess in the classroom…"

"Why, you're still on that?" A soft chuckle came. "It's been weeks, boy!"

"Well I was just curious to know why Dumbledore let that handyman in when…I thought Dumbledore knows what other people's characters are like!"

"Why are you asking me this, Harry?" Professor Nell peeped over his stacks of parchment. "This is a question for the Headmaster himself! Only he can tell you."

"But Professor, I thought you might at least tell me a bit about the handyman…"

"Harry, you're far too inquisitive for your age," mused the Professor, as he stood up from his chair. Wispy strands of white hair dangled from his fringe as he mussed up the short black crop behind. "But I can tell you that handyman was no handyman."

"He was a spy, wasn't he?"

"He wasn't _just_ a spy."

Harry's eyes widened.

"You mean – "

---

"Harry, I don't think it's a very good idea to hang around that mutt of a professor all the time," whispered Seamus, during Potions, whereby they were concocting a rather odd-looking mixture of pink and green swirls. "You don't know if he's…well…" Seamus made a motion of a screw gone loose in the head with his left hand as he continued to stir his potion with his right. "Cranky up there."

"He isn't cranky, really."

"What is it that you keep asking him?"

"Oh. Erm." Harry hesitated. "Erm…about…about Ron!"

"Oh. Does he know the counter-curse?"

"Not that he said anything about it."

Seamus rolled his eyes. "He can't be trusted, Harry!"

"I don't know why I trust him so much either," confessed Harry, staring at his cauldron. "But he seems to make a lot of sense. And his character is quite like mine! He prefers mess, he likes to prod into odd stuff, and…and he's an orphan too."

The last few words were uttered with a tinge of sadness. Seamus said nothing and continued to stir, but Harry just stared into his cauldron. It was true that when Professor Nell told him one day after class that he had lost both his parents in a magic experiment disaster, that Harry felt a special connection with him. And furthermore, what Professor Nell had just told him, could be a hint to something…

---

"Hermione!"

She spun around, heart beating fast. "Harry?"

"Where're you going now?" Harry panted, as he caught up with her after prep time.

Hermione hesitated. "The…the hospital wing."

"To see Ron? I'll go with you."

"Thanks."

The two of them started to walk on, but in silence. Harry put his hands into his robe pockets, not knowing what to really say. Hermione on the other hand, was just completely emotionless. Everything had just tumbled into a heap on top of her; she couldn't figure out which were her true emotions and what was expected of her. She couldn't figure out which was genuine concern and which was …

"So Hermione…" Harry cleared his throat to begin. "I…"

"It's okay, Harry. You don't have to say anything."

Harry was a little taken aback, but he didn't say any more.

They reached the hospital wing. Harry made to go in, but Hermione just clung onto the door, staring at the motionless statue of Ron on the bed. Tears began to trickle down her cheeks, and her lip quivered. Harry looked at her awkwardly. "Hermione…"

"Harry, it's all my fault…if I hadn't gone to talk to Malfoy, if I hadn't tried to help him…Ron wouldn't be…"

"Hush, Hermione, don't berate yourself. Besides, this is not the time to do so. We've got to think of a way to get Ron back to normal."

"But how!" Hermione gripped the door harder, tears flowing faster. "Not even Madam Pomfrey knows how to cure him! It could be a Permanent Hex for all we know!"

"I don't think it is. If it was, they would have sent him to St. Mungo's immediately," said Harry, firmly, but Hermione refused to listen to reason. "If I didn't go and try to be a fool of a help to that unappreciative jerk of a Malfoy! Oh Harry why was I so stupid? Why did I endanger poor Ron? Why did I…"

Halfway through her wails, Hermione suddenly heard something inside her head and stopped.

Harry, who had been staring at Ron, looked back at Hermione in surprise at the abrupt end of her cries. "Hermione?"

"Wait…wait…I hear something."

Harry kept silent, watching Hermione with a tinge of doubt. Her eyes were wide.

"Harry, what's the time?" Her voice had a growing sense of urgency.

"Time? Oh. Erm. Five."

"Five…five…" She suddenly looked very flustered. "Three hours from now. Eight. Eight. At the tower…at the tower…eight…"

"What at the tower?" Harry looked perplexed.

Hermione suddenly gave a cry of despair. "Harry! He's meeting Voldemort at eight tonight!"

"Who's meeting…you mean Draco Malfoy?" It dawned upon Harry a second later. "Hermione, this is not the time to be thinking of that twit!"

"Nono, you don't get it, Harry, he's meeting Voldemort to be rewarded for his first task!"

"And what about it?" Harry hissed, as he dragged Hermione away from the hospital wing door and down the corridor to a secluded area.

Hermione tried to catch her breath, as she stared into Harry's green eyes. "That means…that means he will probably get his second task there. And – we need to stop him from accomplishing it. But…but…that means Draco will die," her eyes turned glassy. "He will…"

"What did he say, Hermione?" Harry's voice was grim.

"He…he said that – he said eight at tower. Dark Lord. That's all he said. But this was his first task – I'm sure Ron was his first task…Harry!" Hermione suddenly gripped his robe sleeves. "Harry I'm very sure Draco didn't do it. I'm very sure he was under the Imperius Curse or something! I'm very sure that…"

"Hermione, you're NOT SURE!" Harry lost his temper. "You DON'T KNOW whether he was under a curse or whatever, stop assuming! And I've never seen you so out of control before! Who was the one who could always remember her spells when we were all freaked out? Who was the one who would always tell us to calm down and think? Who was the one…"

"Who was the one whose intuition was mostly correct?" Hermione's tone was dangerous as she cut in. Harry stared at her, flabbergasted. "Look, Harry, I'm sorry that I've been an absolutely jerk these few weeks but you're not the one who's been having voices in your head! And I think that we can't help Ron till we settle Malfoy's problems once and for all because after all he was the one who cast the curse! So I AM going to look for Malfoy tonight, and I AM going to figure out how to stop him from accomplishing his next task…"

"And you're going to figure out how to save him, huh?" finished Harry, sarcastically.

Hermione looked at him. "Yes."

Harry gave a derisive snort.

"I'm going. It's up to you."

She turned to leave, holding back her tears as she did so. Then she began to walk.

"Wait, Hermione!"

She spun around, eyes lighting up.

Harry sighed. "You know you're not doing ANYTHING without me."

"So says my intuition," whispered Hermione, with a weak smile, and this time the tears did flow.

"Oh bloody hell!" Harry muttered in a comical imitation of Ron, causing Hermione to smile a bit more, as they walked on. "And in the meantime, you've got to hear what Professor Nell told me this morning. He said…"


	19. The Tower At Eight

**Disclaimer:** J.K.Rowling has full ownership of all characters below...(oh dear but I don't think her Draco has as much conscience as mine...)

**A/N:** No reviews for the last chapter! ( but never mind I'm late in updating so I apologise terribly for the delay. I like this chapter though, it has quite a bit of action and you can tell the D/H thing is beginning! (rubs hands gleefully) For now, enjoy!

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Before eight o'clock, Hermione was so jittery that her hands were trembling terribly and her eyes were shifting uneasily. She couldn't even keep the least bit still during dinner, and was attracting a lot of attention. Lavender looked at her enquiringly, but Hermione shook her head quickly. Lavender looked a bit skeptical, but decided not to ask further, turning back to Parvati who was happily cooing about the last Divination lesson she had with Firenze. 

"Hermione?"

She jerked, staring at Harry with rather frightened-looking eyes.

"Hermione, don't be so conspicuous. Calm down."

"How do you expect me to calm down?" She whispered fiercely. Almost at once, there were a few turned heads, but Harry glared at them so angrily that they turned back hurriedly.

"Well," he looked back at Hermione, eyebrows furrowed together. "I know you're scared, I know you're eager to save Ron, and Malfoy for that matter…" Harry scowled when he mentioned his nemesis' name. "…but whatever it is, you've got to calm down. I can't have a jittery Hermione with me 'cos she's going to lose all her rationality!"

Harry's words made sense, but gave no comfort to Hermione, who tried to calm her fidgety fingers. But it obviously did not work, for she dropped her spoon almost immediately. The Gryffindors were too busy eating and clanging glasses together merrily to hear that, but Harry could see the misery etched on Hermione's face. He couldn't help thinking back to the days when he, Hermione, and Ron were laughing together at this very table, tucking into the feast, listening to Ron's whines about his mother's latest gift while he and Hermione laughed till their sides ache looking at Ron's woebegone face…

…that had turned pale and cold in the hospital wing…

---

The clock showed 7.50.

Hermione crept up the tower stealthily, though her fingers were still trembling. Harry followed behind, but at a distance. He knew the person Draco Malfoy had called out to was Hermione, and Hermione alone, because he only wanted to see her. As disturbing as it seemed, Harry felt that there was a possibility that his bushy-haired friend could have caused the smug Slytherin prince to have opened his heart a bit more…

"Harry?"

The whisper was filled with so much pain, misery, and most of all, fear.

"Hermione, I'll be behind you."

"Harry…Harry if what you told me Professor Nell told you…was true…"

Harry looked at his friend, the tears in her eyes glistening like diamonds.

"If what he said was true…then it means that…"

"Yes, Hermione. It means that Voldemort is getting more scheming…he's getting into the walls of Hogwarts with that Callidus Auceps person, and now Malfoy."

"It means…"

"That Hogwarts is not safe."

"That _you_ are not safe…" whispered Hermione, her fingers tightening around the railings.

"Hermione?" Harry looked at her, his eyes narrowing. "Are you trying to tell me…"

"Harry, I don't want you here."

Harry stepped back. "What?"

"Voldemort is here to meet Malfoy. He will know you're here…he'll try to get you." Hermione bit her lip hard till she felt the blood flow onto her tongue. "He'll show you no mercy."

"Hermione, this is not the first time I'm meeting him!" Harry lost his patience. "I am NOT having you up there alone attempting to save Malfoy! I'm the only person Voldemort fears! And I'm the only person who has fought him and survived! Please! You're not going there alone to DIE!"

He said the last word so vehemently that Hermione shivered. Instantly, both of them were reminded of the tragic death of Cedric Diggory in the fourth year.

Harry turned white as he said it, then he looked down at his shoes instead.

Without a word, Hermione began ascending the staircase again. Harry looked up, then followed quietly.

---

The school clock chimed.

Eight o'clock.

Harry took the carefully folded Invisible Cloak from his robe and shook it out, before covering Hermione and himself with it. Huddling under the invisibility, they crept up to the topmost step and pushed against the door tentatively. The usually-locked door moved open with a slight creak.

From the gap between the door and the wall, Hermione could see a clear silhouette against the particularly-bright moon that had sailed over the trees to cast its light upon the tower. She didn't even have to see him; she could sense from the aura he was giving off – who he was.

"Wormtail…" the voice hissed deeply.

"Wormtail is here?" Harry whispered, but Hermione put a hand on his shoulder.

"Y…yess, Massterr?" the slurry, sly voice of Peter Pettigrew was evident.

"What the…WHY are they…" and Hermione gripped Harry's shoulder harder. He said no more, but he could feel his insides burning. Hermione, on the other hand, was searching desperately for Draco Malfoy.

_Malfoy! Where are you? Oh…_

Hermione had not intended to project her thoughtspeak, but it seemed that she had.

_What the HELL! Mudblood, what are you DOING here?_

_Oh my gosh,_ thought Hermione, in fright.

"Draco?"

"Y…yes my Lord."

"Is something distracting you?"

Hermione gulped.

"No, my Lord. I…I just have a bit of a headache."

The silhouette shifted slightly. "You have done well, Draco."

"Thank you, my Lord."

"Go..g-go on yourr kneeesss before the D-d-dark Lorrd you ffo-ool! Ss…"

"Wormtail, I did not ask for your opinion." The Dark Lord's voice was icy.

"Y…yes my Lord, I…"

"Silence!"

And the silhouette swung around. Hermione pushed the door open a little more. The moonlight was so glaring that the open area was so much brighter than the lighting within the tower itself, thus she knew she could not be noticed that easily.

"So, Draco, you have completed your first task."

"Yes, my Lord."

The coldness of his tone chilled his own heart.

"A job well done. Are you ready for your second?"

Draco's heart nearly stopped. "S-second?"

"Of course. A faithful minion does not just stop at one…" Voldemort's tone was somewhat bitter. "Unless he is a pathetic, worthless creature!"

Those insults were uttered with such vehemence that Hermione and Harry had no doubt who Voldemort was referring to, especially since Professor Nell had revealed to Harry about the purpose of Callidus Auceps. However, Draco did not understand, for neither his father or the Dark Lord had told him about the handyman.

"My Lord, I…"

"Silence! You bear my mark, and you will obey. I will give you your second task. "

"Y...yes, my Lord."

"Although the Weasley boy has been dealt with, his family still poses a threat."

"How so, my Lord?"

Voldemort sneered. "Do not be a fool, Malfoy. You have three days. "

Draco couldn't help expressing bewilderment.

"Three days to get rid of the other Weasley. You know who is close to…Potter!" And he snarled the name with utmost disgust.

Hermione gasped. Draco almost stopped breathing. Peter Pettigrew winced. And worse of all, Harry slipped and tumbled a few steps.

"Harry!" gasped Hermione, forgetting herself and running after her friend, who was lying a few steps away.

"Who is there?" the Dark Lord's voice reverberated.

"RUN!" Harry grabbed Hermione's hand, heaved himself up, and both of them began to run down the steps for their lives, almost missing a few steps in their flurry. The tower door swung open with a thud, and Draco Malfoy sped down the winding staircase toits base. In a flash, he stood in the middle of the corridor.Then he looked left and right, suspicion in every crease on his forehead.

Not a soul in sight.

Then he made his way up slowly again.

_Mudblood, count yourself lucky._

_Draco, you mustn't!_

_I don't need you being nice to me. I don't need your pathetic sucking up. I know you're trying to stop me. Don't you dare, Granger, or I swear you'll be sorry! The Dark Lord doesn't stop here. You've seen me do it, you've seen me dare to do it. You weren't even supposed to be here - damn your filthy mind for reading mine!_

Draco came back down from the tower in a few minutes. Hermione and Harry held their breath as he walked past them unflinchingly. After he disappeared around the bend, Harry whipped off the Invisible Cloak, looking extremely white.

"Ginny…" Harry's true feelings were showing at the worst possible time, the name slipping out of his mouth coupled with short breaths.

"Harry, don't, please…" Hermione begged, clutching his hand. Her mind was still whirling with what Draco had said...and her heart ached to hear those words.

_I know you didn't do it. I know you didn't._

_I don't need your bloody charity! First, it's the Weasel. Next you can guess, smart-aleck, that it's his stupid sister. He's getting every inch closer to Potter! And next it would be…_

Hermione sensed the hesitation as she helped the white-faced Harry along the corridor. _What?_

_Never you mind! Whatever it is, just stay out of my affairs or I swear I'll…_

_YOUR affairs! You're killing off people around ME, the people I love the most, the people I care for the most, the people I…_

_Oh yeah? Do you think I care?_

_If you don't, then why stop me?_

Draco Malfoy stopped walking hurriedly to the Slytherin common-room as Hermione's voice echoed in his head.

_Then why stop me?_

Her voice came floating back into his head, sad and painful.

_You do care…don't you?_


	20. Flying Sparks

**Disclaimer:** With the (rather privileged) exception of the mention of Miss Whittington, all other characters are the result of a spill of J.K.Rowling's creative juices. (That sounded rather grotesque.)

**A/N:** I am so sorry this chapter came out really late; I just started the new school year and have been exceptionally busy. But to make up for it, this chapter FINALLY brings out some tangy DM/HG flavour. Hope you enjoy it!

blueeyedchibi: To save you from impending death, I have updated! Thank you for that glowing review, very much appreciated!

* * *

"Miss Granger? Mr Potter? Can I see the both of you after lesson?"

Professor McGonagall's sharp voice did not seem to penetrate the thick thoughts of both Hermione and Harry during the lesson, but it certainly did when they were right in front of her at the end of it.

"Now…" she stacked some parchments neatly by the side before putting her hands firmly on the table and peering at the two pale-looking faces before her. "I know the two of you are very upset over Mr Weasley's accident, but you must not let this affect your work! Miss Granger, I can hardly carry on a lesson anymore without you volunteering your knowledge and sharing them with the class, while Mr Potter, your last essay was completely unlike your usual standard that I can barely pass it!"

Hermione looked numb, so Harry replied, "We're sorry, Professor McGonagall…we…we will try to work harder."

"I do hope so!" Professor McGonagall said stiffly. Then she relaxed and looked at them rather worriedly. "I know it's not easy, but do pick yourselves up. Especially you Potter, we have a Quidditch match coming up, and you mustn't be shirking the responsibility to perform well as the Seeker! Miss Whittington has been informing me that either you missed a few practices or you were not paying attention during training."

Harry muttered something under his breath, but looking at Professor McGonagall's querying expression, he nodded in compliance. Hermione still looked as if she had not heard the whole lecture. Professor McGonagall nodded at him, so he took one more glance at Hermione, and left the room.

"Miss Granger?"

Hermione did not respond, her eyes fixated on the ground.

"Miss Granger, are you alright?"

Somehow, that very simple sentence jerked Hermione out of her reverie. "What?"

"You're not yourself, Miss Granger," remarked Professor McGonagall, standing up to collect the stack of parchments. "Ever since you knew Mr Malfoy became a Death Eater."

"But Professor, if you do know that Dr…Malfoy is a Death Eater, why…"

"Hogwarts is committed to providing its students with the best education in witchcraft and wizardry irregardless of background or intelligence quotient. We…"

"But he is a DEATH EATER, he could KILL someone!" Hermione was nearly shrieking. She didn't know why; she just wanted to rant all of a sudden, and all her sympathy for Draco was beginning to seep away with the rage engulfing her.

"Hush, Miss Granger!" said Professor McGonagall, sharply. "I think Mr Malfoy will have better sense than to murder anybody within the magical walls of Hogwarts. Besides, Professor Dumbledore has approved his stay in Hogwarts." Bending over, she sighed a little as she stared at Hermione. "It is true that having a Death Eater in our presence is a threat, but Malfoy is merely a tool at the moment. We are hoping that through Hogwarts, we can shield him from some of the Darkness he is being exposed to, and gradually shape him back."

_Shape him back?_ Hermione suddenly felt like laughing amidst her anger. Draco Malfoy wasn't even in shape in the first place! But fury flooded her the next second. "What if he brought in others? What if he's a traitor? What if he refuses to accept this education?"

"Others?" Professor McGonagall raised her eyebrows, putting back the stack of parchments she was about to carry away.

Hermione didn't know whether she should tell Professor McGonagall who was at the tower last night. On one hand, it was best a Hogwarts senior staff member should be aware that the school was under great threat. On the other, she was afraid that it would alarm the staff and then Voldemort would know that everyone was on their guard, therefore accelerating his plans. And she was afraid something would happen to his minion.

"Miss Granger?"

"A hypothesis. Just in case."

Professor McGonagall frowned for a moment, then maintained a stern expression. "I cannot guarantee what Mr Malfoy will become at the end of his Hogwarts education, but we will certainly try our best. We are putting up several measures to ensure the safety of the other students in Hogwarts, rest assured. Do not fret too much, Miss Granger."

With that, she finally picked up the stack of parchments and walked off, leaving a rather miserable Hermione behind.

---

"Owls!"

Parvati Patil's excited cry lifted everyone's heads, including Hermione (rather instinctively). "Ooh I wonder if there's anything exciting in the Daily Prophet today!"

Hermione was quite surprised when a rather fierce-looking owl came landing on her fork. When it stared at her, its eyes were almost like sharp daggers piercing into hers…she gasped as it stuck out its foot at her. A small rolled-up note was tied rather tightly to it. She untied the note, only to notice that the string had cut into the owl's leg. It refused to stay any longer, taking to the air instantly, never looking back as it soared away and out of the Hall.

Wondering who would send her a note, Hermione unrolled the note rather tentatively. She could sense Harry was watching her, but she kept her eyes on the note.

"_Granger,_

_Library 8 pm. Don't you dare tell a soul or you'll be sorry."_

Only one person would address her so contemptuously, and by her surname. Hermione crushed the note in her hand, but her fist was shaking so badly that Harry could not hesitate any longer.

"Hermione, what is it?"

_Don't you dare tell a soul._

"Nothing. Some idiot guy who…who was teasing me the other day."

Harry did not buy it, and Hermione knew it. She was terrible at lying, and she could feel her face grow burning hot, but she carried on with her dinner. She knew Harry would not ask anymore, though she was afraid he would follow her. Hence, immediately after dinner, she sped off so quickly that Harry did not even notice she was gone till a few seconds later.

Hermione stepped into the library, her heart pounding. _What did Draco Malfoy want? Why did he send a letter, instead of telling her through thoughtspeech?_ Questions swirled in her head as she walked past each library shelf. It was both comforting and unnerving that the library was empty, save for Madam Pince, who was dozing off at the counter. She wished there was some noise to distract her, instead of a cold silence eating away at her nerves. Yet, she was glad to see that nobody would notice her meeting with Malfoy.

_Just a few more shelves._

Hermione gritted her teeth as she made each step. She suddenly wished she had told Professor McGonagall about the threat surrounding Hogwarts…then she wouldn't have to deal with Malfoy by herself. She wished that Harry and Ron were beside her, so that if Malfoy took things too far, she wouldn't be alone in wishing he were dead. But somehow, the knot in her stomach tightened as she thought of Malfoy dead.

"So…we meet again."

It was a cliché beginning to what was going to happen next, so Hermione instinctively rolled her eyes, but she noticed that Draco Malfoy was not smirking when he said that. He had just simply said that with an expressionless face.

"What do you want?" Hermione narrowed her eyes at him.

"I should be asking you that."

"What have I done?"

Malfoy snorted. "What has high-and-mighty-Granger done? She has no idea? For once, the know-it-all has no answer to a question."

"Get on with it!" Hermione felt her temper rising.

"Touched a raw nerve?" Malfoy looked at her. But there was still no smirk. Hermione couldn't place his expression. It looked something…torn between emotionless…and a trace of…

Fear.

"Look," said Malfoy pointedly, his eyes glinting. "I don't want you messing around in my affairs, Granger. You jolly well know I'm the Dark Lord's minion. I don't want you to be involved in this mess. If someone has to pay, it's Potter. It's not even Weasley, honestly…"

"Stop being a martyr!" cried Hermione, tears welling up in her eyes. "You've landed Ron in the hospital wing, and you're going to get rid of Ginny! How dare you be a hypocrite! How dare you try to keep me away when you're targeting all the people close to me!"

"Granger! I…"

"And mind you Malfoy, Harry Potter happens to be MY best friend and if you dare to lay a finger on him, I'll…"

"Granger!"

"I swear I'll…"

"Granger, damn it!" Malfoy spat. "You were the one who said I cared!"

There was absolute silence for a few seconds.

"What?" Hermione couldn't believe her ears.

Draco Malfoy scowled terribly. "To hell with you, mudblood."

Hermione ignored the swearing. "What did you say?"

"What you said, idiot." Malfoy sounded almost repulsed to drag those words out of his mouth, though the 'idiot' came quite naturally.

Hermione blinked. She didn't know what to say next.

Malfoy glared at her. Seeing that she was not about to respond anytime soon, he gave up and slammed his fist on the table so loudly that a loud SHHHH could be heard from Madam Pince many shelves away.

"Now look here," he lowered his voice to a whisper, his eyes staring piercingly at hers. "You just stay away from what I'm involving myself in. I'll handle my own affairs."

"Not when it involves my friends!" retorted Hermione in a fierce whisper, tears trickling down her cheeks. "You're going to kill Ginny, and I can't let you!"

"Who said anything about killing that ridiculous red-head?" snorted Malfoy. "Her life is worth nothing! What the Dark Lord wants is to weaken that stupid Potter, not to kill Ginny Weasley!"

"So what? If you paralyse her, leave her in a state like what Ron is now, how different is it from killing her?" Hermione challenged, the words rushing out of her mouth in a torrent. Then she gave a big shudder, and began to sob, as all the images of Ginny ending up being Stunned just like Ron came flooding into her mind.

Draco Malfoy stared at Hermione Granger in despair. He was thankful when he heard the library door click; it meant Madam Pince had enough of weird students in the library and had gone to get coffee to wake herself up from weirdness. Now he was stuck here, rage and desperation barely concealed on his face, with a sobbing girl whom all he had for now was solely hatred and anger.

"Damn it why do you care so much about other people, Granger, why don't you just think about yourself and stop being such a stupid fool!"

"Because I'm not as unfeeling as you!" Hermione nearly shouted through her sobs. "I'm not as cruel as you to abandon your friends, to think you're the greatest in the whole universe, to go ahead and give yourself to the Dark Lord without thinking about other people who are sick to death worrying about what you'll do next and forgetting that you're going against the very man who let you have an education in Hogwarts and still is allowing you to carry on despite the fact that you're a filthy Death…"

"I didn't CHOOSE TO BE ONE, goddamn it Granger!" Malfoy spun around and pulled out his wand, pointing it at Hermione with a trembling hand. "Now shut up your preaching, I don't need ANY word of it! You claim to be so honourable and great, what about you thinking you are the cleverest witch in the school and acting so pompous around everyone else, huh? You think you're being really kind and all to care about other people, but let me tell you, people like me don't need your bloody concern!"

Silence once more.

"Oh yeah?"

Malfoy looked a bit taken aback by that, but he merely snorted again and looked away.

Hermione looked at him, her vision blurred by hot tears. She stood up and took a few steps towards him. _What about this? You told me. You chose to tell me. Eight pm. Tower. _

_Granger, shut up._ "Shut up!" he repeated himself, just to be doubly sure the message got across. Apparently it didn't.

_Malfoy…I do know. I do know you didn't want to be. Through…through this._ The tears never stopped falling from Hermione's red eyes. _I know you didn't want to become a Death Eater…you were made to…weren't you?_

Draco Malfoy backed away a little. Hermione took a few steps forward.

_What do you want?_

"I don't want anything," whispered Hermione. Draco was about to back into a shelf, and suddenly his whole body shuddered. The mask of rage and smugness had come down, leaving behind a pale, shaking boy clutching onto his wand helplessly.

"I just want to let you know, you can get out of this. You can. You don't have to kill anymore…please, Draco, don't hurt anymore people! You can turn back!"

Hermione's voice was so pathetic, pleading; but she really wanted him to pull through, she really wanted him to turn back and go on the right path…she didn't want him to be sucked into the Darkness…to be completely rid of any trace of good he could have in him…

Suddenly, Draco Malfoy dropped his wand and his feet moved away from the shelf, until it was just in front of Hermione's shoes. He looked into her pleading eyes that were red from crying. _Please, Draco._

He hesitated, before he raised a trembling thumb to brush away the tears on her cheeks. Hermione's eyes widened, and suddenly became rigid as he lifted her chin with his fingers gently.

Then he kissed her.

_No, Hermione. I can't._


	21. I Know You Won't

**Disclaimer**: No matter how my fanciful my dreams are, the one in which I own the Harry Potter characters is one of the most unrealistic. Pity, though.

**A/N:** I have amazingly updated within a week instead of a month! For a change )

queenofthelameos: Thanks for reviewing! Oh yeah Draco's having a bit of a self-confidence problem here, but I guess one would feel that way if he's torn in between two...especially when one is to do with death. Hope you enjoy this chapter!

* * *

Hermione felt so dazed. 

Numbed.

She sagged down in the library chair as a figure walked furiously out of the library, head down.

Never.

She could never have…

Yet…

---

Draco cursed. And cursed. And cursed, as he walked on furiously.

"Filthy little mudblood…meddlesome, interfering…argh bloody hell!"

He had thrown away the mask he had been wearing for all his life in a moment of confusion. He had just…

"_Softened!_ Draco Malfoy, you _softened!_ Oh damn it all…"

Quickening his pace, he continued to curse all the way, with his fists clenched and perspiration dotting his forehead, to the dungeons leading to the Slytherin common-room.

"Damn you Draco Malfoy, you're a bloody idiot!"

"Why the verbal abuse to yourself?" A familiar, twitterish voice came floating through the harsh dungeon air. Draco narrowed his eyes and curled his lip nastily. He was definitely in no mood to be dealing with Pansy Parkinson again, especially when he was quite sure she was the root of all his trouble.

"Get lost, Parkinson, I don't have the time to play games with you."

"Oh no no…I'm sure you do," remarked Pansy as she emerged from the shadows, sauntering towards Draco, the smile on her face laced with a sinister vibe. "You always have fun playing games with people; think about Whittington and her chewing gum!" She raised her eyebrows. "I'm sure _I_ will continue playing games with you irregardless of whether you are free or not to reciprocate."

"I wasn't the one who threatened to hex her if she didn't tell McGonagall that her jaw problem was all a lie!" Draco suddenly felt disgusted by that incident, which he had long forgotten about. "It was my father!"

"Whoever it was, McGonagall had to take it even though she knew better," laughed Pansy. "And you were so happy, weren't you, Draco?"

"I said get lost!" snarled Draco, for about the umpteenth time.

Pansy merely smiled. "Why should I? We've been friends for so long, Draco…"

"That's enough!" exploded Draco, whipping his wand out of his pocket for the second time in the day. "You were the one who landed Weasley in this Stunned state, don't think I'm a fool!"

Pansy stopped smiling, and curled her lip in the same way Draco had done so. "And what would have happened to you if I didn't do something? You'd have been killed by the Dark Lord! What would you rather? You'd rather Potter's sidekick be alive and kicking whilst you get tortured by the Dark Lord? I don't think so! What's wrong with you, Draco? You never used to be so irrational! You know only too well what the Dark Lord is capable of if you fail him! And you're the leader of all of us junior Death Eaters; anything goes wrong in Hogwarts, you're to blame! Wake up, Draco!"

"I'm well aware of what I'm supposed to do!"

"You're not! Even if you are, you're hiding from it! You're a coward, that's what you are, Draco Malfoy, a COWARD!"

"SHUT UP!" hissed Draco, and the tip of his wand lighted up faintly. "Don't push me, Parkinson, or I swear I'll hex you off your feet and into the walls!"

Pansy pulled out her own wand, eyes flashing. "You're not the only one capable of Dark Magic!"

"Try me!" The light from Draco's wand brightened.

"Draco Malfoy, stop it! What if the Dark Lord hears of this?"

Pansy's voice was no longer sinister; it was full of pain.

Draco's hand quivered; the light vanished from the wand tip.

Neither of them spoke for a long while, just glaring at each other with their wands pointing ahead.

Finally, Draco lowered his hand. Pansy followed suit.

"Draco, listen to me. You must get rid of Ginny Weasley. Kill her, Stun her, whatever! You mustn't let the Dark Lord down! It's your chance to get rid of Harry Potter as well; don't be such an idiot! I don't know what's going on with you nowadays…you're always so distracted, you didn't dare to kill Ron Weasley…it's not like you, Draco…"

Draco didn't know what to think. His mind was in a whirl.

"Draco, listen. You've got to do it."

He looked up into Pansy's pleading green eyes. Instantly, he was reminded of the chestnut-coloured ones he was staring at just a few moments ago. His body gave a violent shudder once more as he closed his eyes, hearing the Dark Lord's words echo in his mind.

_Don't fail me._

Instantly, the vision of the woman burning at the pyre flashed back into his mind, the screams clawing at his senses; his eyes widened a little at the image; his skin turned cold. _I will not care about the process, Draco Malfoy, I will not interfere with what you are thinking in the process; all I want is the end-result. Do not make me interfere, or I'm sure you'll regret it._

Draco breathed hard.

Pansy looked at him for a long while. Then she held out her hand.

Draco stared at it. Then his eyes became even stonier than ever, as he looked ahead, brushed past Pansy and headed for the common room portrait, ignoring the sly hisses of the snake in it.

Pansy's sad eyes followed him. Then it narrowed into slits once more.

---

"Honestly, what's wrong with you two?" Lavender asked nervously. "You've been eyeing each other suspiciously for the entire day since the morning and now you're avoiding each other!"

Harry and Hermione said nothing. Lavender looked huffy and decided to leave them alone in the common-room. Seamus and Dean, seeing that the atmosphere was getting tenser every second, decided to leave as well, lowering their conversation about what they got for Christmas presents the year before to a whisper.

Harry was unable to speak because he had suddenly felt very angry with Hermione for leaving the Hall at dinner without a word. He had wanted to speak with her about what happened the night before, but she had just vanished. What made things worse was when she came back to the common-room, she just sat there like a gargoyle, staring dazedly into space. She was obviously not willing to listen to anything he wanted to tell her!

Hermione, on the other hand, was just completely blank. She knew nothing at the moment, except for the fact that she had just been kissed by the boy she hated most in school. _In the library_…of all places! But what made her absolutely numb was that she had not felt a single bit of repulsion by his act; she had actually warmed to his kiss. She had allowed him to do so, even when she was so angry and hurt that he was losing himself to the Dark side.

_No, Hermione. I can't._

_Oh yes, you can!_ She suddenly thought, fiercely. _You're just avoiding it! _

Yet Hermione knew very well that nobody could defy the Dark Lord's orders and get away scot-free for it. If Draco Malfoy let Ginny go, Voldemort would kill him. He could only kill, or be killed. She had witnessed, in her dreams, how the Dark Lord burnt people at the pyre of Death, mercilessly shutting out the cries of despair and rage ringing out…

Another thought struck her. _He had called me Hermione._ He had dropped the surname basis and had actually addressed her by her first name. Hermione's head throbbed terribly as she tried to think harder. _Who is Draco Malfoy, really? Stuck-up, spiteful…is he really truly any worse than that? Is there any good in him? He didn't want to become a Death Eater…what made him? How was he going to survive being such an important figure in Voldemort's plans…what if he failed?_

"Hermione?"

Harry ventured to break the ice – his curiosity was getting the better of his anger.

Slowly, Hermione turned to face him. Harry was surprised to see such a blank expression in her eyes. "Hermione, what happened? Where did you go?"

"I…nothing. I…just…I was just thinking about Ron…and…and Ginny."

Harry turned a bit pale at the mention of Ginny.

"I'm…I'm sorry…"

"Hermione…" Harry closed his eyes. "We've got to tell Dumbledore."

"No!" Hermione's eyes suddenly blazed. "No!"

Harry was taken aback. "What?"

"I said no…" her voice was reduced to a whimper.

"Hermione, I know it's going to be risky, but he'll handle it better than we will! I can't imagine what Voldemort will do to any student in the school if he can enter it as and when he pleases to!"

Almost immediately, that mental image struck Harry hard as he sat up straight. "I say! How ever did Voldemort get into Hogwarts with all that magic? I don't believe his powers have surpassed Dumbledore's that much!"

"What are you trying to get at?" asked Hermione, wearily.

Surprised by her inability to infer from his words, Harry explained. "Don't you get it? There must be some secret entrance to allow Voldemort to enter the school grounds without getting noticed. And it must be linked to the tower, or else he'd have risked being spotted…since the tower staircase is so near Dumbledore's office!"

Hermione's eyes lighted up with that suggestion, but she said nothing.

"We've got to find that entrance!"

"And…what about Dumbledore?"

Harry's excitement died down a bit. "Well…maybe we'll tell him after we try to figure out what's going on at the tower. I…Meanwhile, we'd better keep a…a closer eye on Ginny. She can't be hurt a second time…it's too much."

Sensing Harry's concern for Ginny, Hermione felt a sudden ache in her heart. If she had to choose…how could she?

"By the way, you haven't answered me. Where did you go after dinner, in such a hurry?"

Hermione's hands went rigid and cold. "I…"

"That letter…" said Harry, eyeing her suspiciously. "Who was it from?"

"No..nobody, really…"

Harry was not stupid. "Malfoy?"

Hermione started. "No! No, not Malfoy!"

"Relax, Hermione!" Harry was alarmed by her violent reaction, and terribly suspicious at the same time. "Then who was it from?"

"It…It was from McGonagall…" stammered Hermione.

"Hermione, don't lie to me!" Harry suddenly burst out, looking very angry indeed. "Even if you didn't know, I am quite sure that the owl that gave you that note belongs to Draco Malfoy!"

Hermione buried her head in her arms and began to sob.

"What did he tell you? Did he threaten you? Did he…do anything? That nasty ferret; thinks he's so great, now he's a Death Eater going to kill off the Weasleys…"

"Harry, please! No…"

"What happened, Hermione! What's going on between Malfoy and you? First, it's telepathy, now it's a meeting?"

"Harry, he didn't choose to become a Death Eater!"

Harry snorted. "And you believed him? Of all people, Hermione, I can't believe you fell for his words! He's just trying to win your sympathy! So now he's playing soft, huh? I wouldn't have thought it of him…just a sly little ferret, a useless pawn of Voldemort…"

Hermione brushed away her tears. "I…I don't know…"

Feeling a wave of pity wash over him, Harry stood up and walked over to the couch where his best friend sat, and put an arm around her, pulling her close to him. "Hermione, I promise that I'll never let you get hurt by Malfoy, in any way. He's just a liar, a cheat, a fraud. There's nothing good about him. If he tries to connect with you by whatever telepathic means or any kind of secret meeting, you've got to tell me…I won't let him hurt you."

He said it so fiercely, with such conviction that Hermione felt comforted by the strong friendship they shared…she immediately thought of poor Ron lying in the hospital wing…how she wished the three of them were together again, laughing and joking about the latest gossips of the students, she and Ron having their usual bickering session, the two boys trying to beat each other at wizard chess…

Yet she also thought of Draco Malfoy, tousled blond hair and all, curled up and shackled in a corner of a dark cell, crying his heart out bitterly, the scars on his arms evidence of the torture by Voldemort…

"I know you won't. I know you won't let him hurt me."

_I know you won't hurt me._


	22. Dark Discovery

**Disclaimer:** I don't think Ms Rowling will be willing to sacrifice her storyline for a Draco/Hermione relationship, so I believe she won't want to hold claim to my story, and neither I to hers.

**A/N:** Plot's getting thicker! Please do review!

blueeyedchibi: Why, thanks so much for the review! Whether Hermione eventually believes Draco or not, here's the next chapter to enlighten you further...

queenofthelameos: My faithful reviewer! Thanks so much...hope you enjoy this chapter!

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Harry sat by Ron's bed, looking at his best friend intently, silently hoping that there would be a miraculous sign of movement from him. His mind was bogged down by a lot of terrible problems; he was afraid that Ron would never move again from his Stunned state, he was afraid that Hermione would be manipulated by Draco Malfoy, he was afraid that Ginny would be killed… 

"Harry Potter! Ooh…just the person I wanted to talk to!"

The voice was very familiar. Harry stood up and looked surprised as Professor Sprout came bumbling into the room. "Yes, Professor?"

"I wanted to tell you something really important," said Professor Sprout, earnestly. Then her eyebrows furrowed together. "You see, our potion isn't going very well…"

Harry took a while to process this. "You mean the potion to cure Stunned patients?"

Professor Sprout nodded. "Something's not right. We've followed all instructions; the potion is similar to the one we made for all the Petrified students when the Chamber of Secrets was opened, you remember?"

Harry nodded, a tinge of suspicion creeping into his mind.

"Yet the potion is just not right! We…I mean all the staff members have been trying our best to figure out the problem, but it is not showing itself," muttered Professor Sprout, huffily. "So…I'm really afraid Mr Weasley might have to wait quite a while longer."

Harry's heart sank. That just compounded his misery even further.

"I'm sorry, Mr Potter, but we are really getting no headway in this so far." Professor Sprout patted Harry's shoulders awkwardly, before she turned and left, leaving the room much colder than it was before.

---

Hermione held onto her books tightly as she made her way to Defence Against the Dark Arts class in a hurry. Harry had gone to see Ron at the hospital wing, and would have made his own way there already. Lavender and Parvati had gone to find Padma to talk to earlier on, so they would be there already. Seamus and Dean had to settle some questions with Professor McGonagall with regards to their Careers so they were going to be late. Neville was…_oh bother!_ _Why am I worrying so much about the fact that none of the Gryffindors are around me?_

"Granger!" A loud hiss sounded just before she entered the class.

Hermione stepped back, her heart beating even faster than ever. Before she could say something sarcastic, he had pulled her round the corner.

"What do you want?" Hermione glared at him.

"Look, Granger, I'm trying to be civil so just quit being angry for the moment," growled Draco, though he was returning her glare even more icily. "I need your help."

"Why does the great _high-and-mighty_ Draco Malfoy, termed Slytherin prince, need a _mudblood's_ help?" spat Hermione, remembering the exact term he had used to describe her before.

Draco Malfoy suddenly looked a little desperate, eyeing his surroundings to make sure no Slytherin or any other student who would find their "meeting" a little suspicious. "Look here, you don't want Ginny Weasley to die, do you?"

Hermione snapped back into serious mode. "You'll let her off?"

"Don't be a fool, Granger!" He glared at her again. "You know the Dark Lord will kill me if I did!"

"Which means you're still going to kill her! I'll tell Dumbledore!" Hermione hissed.

"Don't be childish, Granger, you're a bloody idiot!" Draco retorted, in despair. "Would you just listen to me! I need your help in devising a plan to fool the Dark Lord into thinking I've completed his task!"

"Draco, you've got to be joking," whispered Hermione, her voice suddenly filled with terror. "You…you can't fool Voldemort!"

"I…I give up, Granger," his voice took a strange twist; clearly laced with fear. "I don't want to work for him. But…but I can't. I've to go on. And…and I don't want to die." He looked at her, and for the first time Hermione Granger wished she could pull him into a hug and comfort him. "I've got to complete the task…the Dark Lord…" he hesitated, hoping that she would not access the dreams that were pulverising his mind madly since the night before. "He wants it done as soon as possible.

"Draco…" Hermione bit her lip as she looked down at her watch. There was still three more minutes. "Who hexed Ron?"

For a moment, Draco nearly said something spiteful back, but he didn't feel like saying anything that sounded remotely hurtful to Hermione at the moment. "I thought you were bent on me having committed the crime."

"You didn't…did you?"

Draco Malfoy looked around furtively, then back at Hermione. "It was Pansy."

Not sure whether to feel relief or just compounded hurt that Ron was still unconscious, Hermione gazed into Draco's eyes. "Draco, you don't have to be doing all these things if you don't wish to do them. Don't be a murderer, please! You're only sixteen! I mean, you're one of the best wizards in our level…you can't just give up a bright future to serve Voldemort!"

Draco was trying to fight this strange desire to hug Hermione, as well as impulsively feeling rather repulsed that he was actually confiding in somebody whom he had hated ever since he knew her. Yet, he felt not one shred of hatred in him as he looked back into her shining brown eyes that were pleading with him. Pleading with him not to fall into an abyss of darkness; pleading with him not to go on the journey of no return. In his mind, he could still hear the Dark Lord's voice calling out sinisterly. _Three…three more days, Draco…and you will report to me…_ Finding no other way to express himself, he could only continue glaring at her.

"Hermione!"

Both Hermione and Draco turned to see Harry come round the corner.

Harry's eyes travelled from Hermione to Draco and darkened.

"Stop looking at me Potter, you don't have to be jealous of anything," remarked Draco, smirking as he pushed past Harry and into the classroom. Harry looked back at Hermione, who was breathing hard. "What'd he do now?"

Hermione shook her head.

Harry knew better than to question her further, so he just briefly told her about what Professor Sprout had said. Hermione's heart sank even further, and Harry, sensing her misery, pulled her into a one-arm hug as she closed her eyes, resting her chin on his shoulder.

From inside the classroom, a pair of grey eyes watched, almost turning green.

---

"So, class, can anyone tell me what is the incantation for the Mind Erasure jinx?"

Professor Nell's hearty voice failed to wake up the class, of which almost all were in deep slumber. Except for three people, who were wide awake, but their thoughts were clearly elsewhere.

"Mr Finnigan?"

Seamus nearly leapt out of his seat, gripping the side of his chair, wide-eyed. "Yes, sir!"

"Incantation for Mind Erasure jinx?"

"Err…uhh…I…"

"Mr Zabini?"

Blaise Zabini seemed to have a sudden interest in twirling his quill round very rapidly as he shifted on his chair uneasily.

"Miss Patil?"

Parvati gasped softly, and the whole class giggled.

Professor Nell made a sound of dissatisfaction. Then he closed the book he was holding and leant rather informally against the desk. "Are you all that bored by my lesson?"

Everyone tried to sit up straight and brush down their robes. "No sir," they chorused. Some Slytherins chose to lean back against their chairs and eyeball their Professor; one of which was Draco, who could not help expressing a sneer at the innocent act of being attentive that the Gryffindors were showcasing.

Professor Nell ran a hand through his silvery hair. "You lot really cannot deny that your NEWTs are quite around the corner; the fact that you are in my NEWT class means I expect a lot more focus than you gave your previous Professors, really."

"Yeah, when one died, one went insane, one resigned, one got locked up, one got carried away by centaurs…"

Hermione didn't even realise she was saying all this, in a very sarcastic tone, till he felt a rather hot sensation enshrouding her; everyone was looking at her in a very queer way.

Professor Nell had this rather queer look on his face too.

"Who knows what'll happen next!" came a rather lazy voice. Hermione turned, and saw Draco leaning back against his chair with his legs on the table. She concentrated, and a mental thought popped into her mind. _She's insane, antagonising him!_

_You're insane yourself!_ retorted Hermione, as she tried to hide the flush spreading up her neck.

_What! Oh…bloody hell you read my thoughts!_ Draco's laid-back look seemed a bit annoyed.

"Miss Granger and Mr Malfoy, would you please stay back after this lesson? And as for homework, everyone, please write me an essay on the Mind Erasure jinx, no less than four pages please."

There was a collective groan, but Professor Nell ignored it, choosing to continue staring at Hermione and Draco. A sense of uneasiness was creeping up both of them, including Harry, though he didn't know why. He trusted Professor Nell to say something sensible to them, yet he couldn't exactly place this nagging suspicion that something was not right. He gave Hermione a look of sympathy, before leaving the classroom.

Draco and Hermione exchanged looks of puzzlement before they moved in front of Professor Nell. He swung himself onto the desk in a rather strange manner, quite like an athletic youth despite the silvery strands of hair that framed his bony face structure. Draco's eyes narrowed; Hermione felt edgy.

"Something's come over the both of you today, quite surprisingly," mused Professor Nell, taking off his glasses and wiping them with a swish of his wand. "I really didn't expect that of you in particular, Miss Granger," he added, looking at Hermione inquiringly.

"I…"

"I added the connotation, sir," interrupted Draco, looking straight at Professor Nell with a curled lip. "And I don't see what is so controversial about my remark when I am quite sure it has factual evidence to support it."

Hermione let out an involuntary gasp, while Professor Nell remained stoid. "You could care to explain, Mr Malfoy?"

"Needs no explanation," said Draco, flatly. "Clear for all to see what happens to those who take up the post of Defence Against the Dark Arts. Probably why my house master Professor Snape is rated much more highly than you are, sir, because he is aware of such a curse on the post."

Hermione glared at Draco. _What are you doing!_

He didn't answer, merely glaring at Professor Nell.

"I see there's some misunderstanding between the both of us, Mr Malfoy," said Professor Nell, slowly. "Surely…nothing to do with your…induction…"

"You have no right to talk about it!" hissed Draco, staring piercingly at Professor Nell.

Professor Nell suddenly laughed. "No right? No right? Perhaps, Mr Malfoy, you might want to reconsider your statement which I have taken to be said out of childish impulse. I'm quite sure, that some times, you tend to break out of being an _independent_ learner…"

Hermione could not understand why Draco was almost shaking with rage as he heard that; his hand was nearly to his pocket which clearly contained his wand. He glared at Professor Nell with so much ferocity that if looks could kill, the professor would have dropped dead on the ground instantly.

"You don't have the right," repeated Draco, seething with anger. "As long as I get the job done…"

"What job?" asked Professor Nell, surprised, but Draco merely snorted and stormed out of the classroom. Professor Nell then turned to Hermione, who was in a state of mild bewilderment because at the moment, she was unable to access Draco's thoughts, feelings, nor get his replies for all the questions she was bombarding him with.

"Miss Granger?"

"Uh?" She shook out of her trance.

"Is there something wrong…I mean, you're out of sorts lately…"

"It's Ron…" She forced a weak smile.

Professor Nell nodded understandingly. "If you and Mr Potter are feeling rather down or anything, feel free to come and talk to me. I'll be glad to lift you all out of your low spirits."

"Thanks, Professor," she smiled, a little more genuinely.

She could have sworn he was one of the nicest teachers she had met; somebody who actually cared about what she was thinking at the moment, how she was feeling, being concerned for her.

Until she heard the message in her head.

_He's a vile liar. A fraud. _

_He's from the Dark side._


	23. Interference

**Disclaimer:** Unlike the true author of the Harry Potter series, my version of Draco Malfoy & co. were not created under the effects of caffeine (haha just kidding) - so well, acknowledge the power of coffee! (& Ms Rowling, of course)

**A/N:** Sorry, been really busy...:( here's the next chapter!

blueeyedchibi: Here's the next chapter for your perusal! Hope you like it ) Thanks so much for the review!

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"Malfoy! MALFOY! Would you just WAIT UP!"

He quickened his pace as he strode along the corridor.

"Malfoy!"

He was almost running now.

"Malfoy, won't you just stop!"

"I have nothing to say to you, Mudblood!"

Hermione ignored the insult as she tried to catch up with him. "What was that you were saying about…"

Suddenly Draco spun around and grabbed her by the shoulders, frightening her considerably. Then he shook her hard till her teeth rattled in her head. "Shut up!" He hissed. "You don't want the whole world to hear you, damn it!"

Hermione was too scared to say a word, so she just let out a soft moan. His fingernails were digging hard into her shoulders, and his glare was so piercing she could barely even open her eyes.

Finally, he let her go, muttering softly to himself. Thankfully, no one was walking along this corridor, save for one first-year who had literally scurried away upon seeing the figure of Draco Malfoy advance upon his path.

_Sorry._

Hermione tried to hide her amazement at Draco's apology, but she gathered up her nerves and looked expectantly at him. "I don't have class now; and neither do you, so you might as well tell me. There's got to be a good reason why you're telling me this."

"Granger, you know better than me why I'm telling you this," hissed Draco, turning away to stare at the portrait of a rather ferocious-looking wolf snarling at his equally angry face. "He knew that I am failing the Dark Lord; he's going to rat on me. He knows I didn't hex Weasley!"

"But how do you know?" asked Hermione, bewildered.

"I don't know…" Draco turned back again, his rage suddenly diminishing into that of weariness. "I…I just feel it. His…his voice sounded so familiar; I've heard it before, at my induction, or some other time when I was meeting the Dark Lord…I've heard his voice before…and, I hear it sometimes in my subconsciousness. He's just a filthy _dog_! Argh!" His voice was laced with so much spiteful disgust as he clenched his fists.

"But Harry's…Harry's told him a lot," whispered Hermione, light suddenly dawning upon her. "He's been meeting Professor Nell very often; he must have told him about all the secrets we've found and asked him for advice!"

"Why do you think I'm telling you, Granger?" sneered Draco. "For your own play's sake?"

Hermione didn't say anything. She just stared at the ground.

"I just thought of something else," said Draco, his cold eyes were surprisingly filled with worry as Hermione looked up. "Nell's working with Professor Sprout over that mandrake potion they give Stunned patients. The one Weasley's supposed to take and get out of that stoned state."

"Oh my god," whispered Hermione. "No wonder Harry said the potion wasn't working!"

"Proves my point!" scowled Draco. Then he saw Hermione's stricken face, and immediately (and rather strangely) felt pity for her. "You're not the only one stuck in a predicament, okay! My problems weigh worse!"

He regretted those words as they came out.

"Oh yeah? You only think about yourself, arrogant git, you don't think about how others feel!" snapped Hermione. "You think you're some prince, but let me tell you, you're just a stone-cold ferret who's just an utter jerk because you don't even see the misery of even the people who are close to you; you just think about your own problems and your own troubles but you don't care that anyone else is heartbroken as well!"

There was a very thick, cold silence, except for their heavy breathing.

Then Draco took a few steps forward till right in front of her. Hermione tried to back off, but he grabbed her by the shoulders again, though not as roughly as the previous time. Hermione looked away, but after a while, she looked back. This time, she saw his grey eyes looking right at her, almost sparkling. They were no longer steel-cold; they were soft, full of unspeakable emotion, and hurt.

"I never knew you hated me so much, Granger."

"It's time you did." But it was said in such a raw whisper, that Draco could hardly believe her. Hermione didn't believe herself either.

"Granger, look, Weasley's in bad shape. Everyone knows that. But we're still going to find a way to get him well again. In three days' time, if you don't help me think of a plan to get past hurting Ginny Weasley, three people are going to be so dead. One is Weasley. Next is his sister. Then third is me."

Hermione closed her eyes and tried to shut out his voice. But it was nearly impossible given he was grabbing her arms and was just centimetres away from her.

"Weasley's your bloody friend. Then what about his sister? And…"

His voice trailed off as he came to the third person involved.

_It's me being selfish,_ she thought to herself, shutting him out from her thoughts. _I'm the one who doesn't think about others; I only think about my misery. I never thought about how Ron would feel if I let his sister get hurt, I never thought about Ginny dying in front of my very eyes when Ron's already in this state, I never thought about…about how…how he would die too…_

Hermione finally opened her eyes again, staring into the sparkling grey eyes before her. She felt a tingle go through her, but she shook it off. Then she relaxed a little, so that Malfoy's hands lost its grip, and she was able to brush them off her shoulders. A second later, she found herself turning away and walking off briskly in the opposite direction.

Draco Malfoy just continued looking at her walking away from him. Something dull was beginning to cloud his eyes, clouding them from expressing a shred of emotion. Then it turned back to the gray that it used to be…or maybe not as cold…

---

Ginny brushed her silky red hair neatly down her shoulders, before parading a little in front of the mirror. Her dormitory mates all laughed at her for being vain, but she merely grinned and set the brush down. "You're all jealous!" , she had said with a completely honest twinkle in her eye, while everyone laughed again.

She went to the common-room, but only a few third-years were there, chatting happily by the fireplace. In her mind, she was searching for one particular person, but she had no idea where he would be. Thinking immediately of one place, she exited the room and started heading towards the back of the castle that faced Hagrid's hut.

The corridors were strangely quiet, save for a few slamming doors and the sound of swinging portraits. Everybody was diving back into their rooms. Ginny cocked her eyebrows at the swinging staircases above, wondering what was going on. She knew that some important examinations were coming up and also practices for Quidditch were intensifying. She was getting very weary with the frequent practices as well. Yet, it was still a bit odd for everyone to be staying indoors.

It was only when she reached the corridor leading down to the open field that she realised why everyone was staying indoors. She had been too caught up in her thoughts to look out of her dormitory window! There had been a sudden blizzard of snow raining hard upon the grounds, covering the field with a dizzying white sheet of ice, and her entire body was beginning to feel terribly frozen as she backed away into the warmer interior of the castle. Although the weather had been turning cold, never had Ginny seen a summer change into such a terrible winter before! And it was a blizzard, of all scenarios! Ginny was beginning to wonder why nobody had told her about it when she left the dormitory, when she realised, with a rather horrid suspicion, that the sunrays had been lighting up the dormitory earlier on.

"What's going on?" Ginny wondered, aloud, as she hurried along the corridor back to the common room where she could get some warmth. After all, a T-shirt and jeans under Gryffindor robes was definitely not enough to be dealing with snow. Her teeth were beginning to chatter, and she could feel a knot tightening in her stomach.

"Why, why, what's the hurry, Miss Weasley? Got a bit of cold?"

The high-pitched spiteful, sour voice could only belong to one person. Ginny stopped and turned around, glaring at Pansy Parkinson. "What do you want, Parkinson?"

"Me? Nothing. I was just wondering if you'd like a scarf, considering you look oh-so-cold!" twittered Pansy, who was well snug in winter outfit, offering a green-and-white scarf.

"No thank you, it has the mark of you Slytherins!" spat Ginny.

"Oh of course, how could I forget. A blood-traitor like you wouldn't be _worthy_ of a Slytherin item!" hissed Pansy, her smile crooked.

"Shut up, Parkinson and get back to your dungeons." Ginny was trying to keep calm.

"Oh I couldn't resist the opportunity to say hi to you. I was just wondering…were you intending to go out to the field? I mean, look at it, it's perfectly lovely to be playing in the snow there…"

"It was SUNNY a few minutes ago!" accused Ginny.

"Oh, that I know, that I know. I just wanted a bit of chill, that's all."

Ginny stared at her. "You changed the _weather_?"

Pansy laughed. "That would require a great deal of Dark Magic my dear. Do you think I'd be so capable?"

"Well then, of course not," retorted Ginny, beginning to shiver terribly. "Now would you please excuse me I need to go and get a fire warming my bones and not be wasting my time with a catty creature like you!"

Pansy's eyes flashed angrily as Ginny turned away. "What did you say?"

Ginny stopped, then she turned back, her red hair flaming with the dim glow of gold from the lamps lining the corridor. "I said, I don't want to be wasting my time with a _catty_ creature like YOU!"

Pansy pulled out her wand, eyes narrowing into slits. "You'll be sorry for this, Weasley, you're going to regret you ever said that."

"When did you get so touchy?" demanded Ginny, her hand also reaching inside her robes for her wand. "Catty is such a mild adjective! Or would you like me to add on that you're also a bitchy, frivolous…"

"Petrificus Totalus!" screeched Pansy, but Ginny ducked the shot of light in time. Pansy was about to raise her wand to cast another spell, and Ginny was pulling out her wand far too late to counter…

"Parkinson, what the bloody hell are you doing!"

Pansy spun around at the sound of the familiar snarl, while a shaking Ginny immediately pulled out her wand to point straight at her. "Draco?"

Draco Malfoy strode into view from around the corner, and Ginny's eyes took on a look of confusion apart from the fear that was present within. Pansy's were full of bewilderment. "Draco, I'm helping you."

"I don't need your bloody help. Keep that wand. And yes I mean you too, Weasley," he spat at Ginny, who retreated a few steps and kept her wand, eyeing him warily. Pansy refused to keep the wand, instead holding it more firmly towards Ginny. "Draco, stop being softhearted. You know that if you don't kill her (Ginny's eyes widened at this point in time), you're going to die yourself in three days' time!"

"That's my business, Parkinson, I've told you a billion times, damn it! Why don't you ever get it into your head!" Draco hissed, and reached out to grab her wrist. Pansy struggled with the grip, but it was too strong for her. "You're coming with me downstairs and you're going to stop this nonsense you're creating."

"I'm not creating any nonsense!"

"Oh yeah? Care to explain the weather to me? You've been dabbling in Dark Magic!"

Pansy snorted derisively. "Like you haven't!"

Draco's eyes glinted terribly. "Pansy Parkinson, you're going to regret this."

"Stop it, Draco, or I'll scream out loud that you're a Dea…"

"Burn in hell, Parkinson!" Draco snarled, and delivered such a resounding slap across her face that Ginny gasped loudly in response. Pansy didn't yelp; she merely sagged under his grip, her face turning white. The corridors were eerily quiet, and Draco stared at the red palm mark shouting out at him from Pansy's white face.

"Get out of here, Weasley," muttered Draco. "And don't you dare tell anyone about this." Ginny didn't need any further prompting; she spun around and took to her heels back to the Gryffindor common-room. Draco looked at Pansy, guilt suddenly sweeping in waves towards his heart. _Drats, when did I ever start feeling guilty about such things?_

He didn't want to look anymore. He let go of Pansy's wrist and walked off, leaving her to collapse against the banister, her eyes void of emotion as they watched him walk down the corridor, away, away from her…

---

"Something's not right…" muttered Hermione, as she walked towards the Great Hall, in time for supper. "Something's just not right…"

"Hermione, are you okay?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Do you, err, want to go take a look at Ron after supper?"

"Yeah, sure."

The two of them walked to their seats in silence. A rather white-faced Ginny greeted them softly. Hermione looked at Harry and saw him looking as alarmed as she felt. "Ginny, what's wrong?"

"N-nothing."

"What's wrong, Ginny, you can trust us!" whispered Harry, urgently. "Has…has it got to do with Malfoy?"

Hermione felt a tingle run through her. She unconsciously cast a look over at the Slytherin table; worry swept through her as she could not see the familiar platinum blond mop sticking out from the crowd. He was usually on time…

"N-nothing, really."

Hermione motioned for Harry to stop questioning, and they both allowed Ginny to start eating instead. However, she didn't go beyond three mouthfuls, and pushed her pudding bowl away gently. Then she started to get up and move off. Harry made to go after her, but Hermione patted his arm and nodded her head. Then she got out of her chair and went after Ginny.

"Ginny! Ginny!"

Ginny just kept on walking faster, towards the common-room.

"Ginny, wait up!" Hermione was getting annoyed today was spent catching up with people who seemed bent on never stopping. "Ginny!"

Finally Ginny did stop. But her back was facing Hermione. Hermione watched it heave – something was really not right.

Suddenly, a vision hit Hermione hard…

_"I don't need your bloody help…" … Parkinson glaring at me … her wrist in my grip … "Burn in hell, Parkinson!" … a red palm mark against white … "Get out of here, Weasley," … watching Ginny Weasley run away in fear … watching Parkinson sag in my grip … _

Hermione jerked back to reality as the dim golden surroundings faded into slightly brighter ones, and Ginny was still in front of her.

"Ginny, did Parkinson try to do anything to you?"

There was a moment of silence. Then Ginny turned around slowly. "How did you know?"

"Listen, did Parkinson try to…kill you?"

With that, tears began to flow down Ginny's cheeks in a flurry. Hermione rushed forward and hugged the girl, feeling her sobs tremor through her body. _Oh my god_, thought Hermione, _she must have been trying to help Draco kill Ginny_.

As Ginny quietened down, Hermione told her not to worry too much; that it was probably a plot to kill Harry and she was being tangled up in it. Meanwhile, she should stay in the common-room for safety reasons. Ginny followed her instructions, and went back to the common-room. Once in, Hermione stood outside, her brows furrowing together. She was not getting anything in her head, and she was becoming increasingly worried.

If Draco had stopped Pansy and walked away, then where was he now?


	24. Mind Cogwheels In Action

**Disclaimer:** Claiming Harry Potter & Co. as my very own creation would be as possible as summer morphing into winter in a split second. Or maybe...I could do it by Dark Magic...hmm...

**A/N:** Sorry for taking a month, was really rather busy - hope you enjoy this one! It's leading up to the climax already!  
(Oh and I edited the part about Harry's Quidditch practice because I had forgotten when I wrote it that the Gryffindor Quidditch team was banned from practising on the pitch. So a new sentence has been added in place of the previous one. Oops!)

queenofthelameos: I've continued, and here's the next chapter, hope you like it! Thanks for the review!  
blueeyedchibi: Thanks so much for your lovely review, I really appreciated the time you took to write that long review! I'll definitely pop by your fic when it's up and going I replied to you only the previous time cos you were my only reviewer for that chapter :( but never mind i'm sure there will be better times for my fic. Haha...hope you enjoy this chapter!  
glitterglow: Wow, I'm so glad to see a new reviewer after all this while! Continue keeping up to date with this new chapter, hope you would think it's cool too! Haha...

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Hermione was fidgety the whole night. She did not return to the common-room, hoping to avoid any meeting with Harry, which meant explaining everything to him. Maybe Ginny would tell him instead. But what was more important was finding Draco and to ask him to explain to her what were the images surfacing in her mind. 

Yet, after all the connections that she had with him through the mind, she could not figure out what he was possibly thinking at the moment. The only feeling she had was that of dread – that something was not right. Knowing she had that feeling was definitely not good either, considering Hermione's intuition was usually spot-on.

Shivering with the cold gusts that blew in (strange, it had snowed in the afternoon! In the summer! But there was no more snow at the moment, just very cold winds – everyone had to put on winter outfits in bewilderment), Hermione pulled her scarf tighter as she moved in the direction of the Slytherin common-room. She had no idea what she wanted to do; she just felt that going in that direction would reward her with some answers…

"What's the mudblood doing around here?" came a hiss, and for a moment Hermione thought it could be – but no, the arrogance was different. It was more of a haughty tone rather than the cool and smirking one Draco Malfoy had.

"Where's stupid Malfoy?" Hermione tried to sound distant.

Blaise Zabini stared at her for a moment, then he couldn't help sneering. "What does a mudblood like you got to do with a pureblood like him, huh?"

"I don't care about blood at the moment, Zabini, just tell me where he is?"

"So you can hex him and send him straight to the Hospital Wing? I don't think so!" Zabini's voice suddenly grew very serious and angry, losing the spitefulness.

Hermione was a little taken aback. She had expected that kind of response, but she had not expected the way Zabini had said it. "No, I'm not going to do that."

Zabini suddenly leant forward and startled Hermione again as she backed into the wall behind her. "You know what, it's all because of people, or should I say, _girls_ like you who get him into trouble. Always interfering, always trying to think you're so smart. Let me tell you, guys just need some time alone and we don't need you all to assert your authority all over us! Now get the hell out of here before I'll get nasty!"

Something was totally out of place. "Girls? Wait a minute. I'm just…uhh going to demand an explanation (yes that's it!) from Dra…Malfoy. What have I done, can you please enlighten me?"

Zabini suddenly scowled. "Get lost. He's not free."

"Zabini, I…"

"I said get lost!" he snarled, and started to turn back towards the passage that led down to the old mysterious dungeons of Hogwarts.

"What's Pansy done!"

That phrase completely took Zabini by surprise and he nearly tripped at the edge of the stairs. "What?"

"Is it…is it Pansy Parkinson? I mean…is he – is he getting…"

"What's it that you know?" Blaise Zabini's eyes narrowed onto Hermione as he retraced his steps. Hermione backed away a little, starting to feel something amiss.

"What's it that you know! Bloody hell, you girls – no matter what house – you are all absolute filths! Out with it, Granger! How'd you know anything between the two of them!"

Hermione didn't know what to say – she knew she couldn't run when Zabini had one hand reaching into his robes for his wand. She knew she couldn't scream because she was in Slytherin territory, and could only blame herself for it. She knew…

_Draco! Help!_

"Granger, you know backing away won't do you anything good," said Zabini, his voice turning silky and dangerous. He continued to advance, while pulling out his wand slowly, as Hermione did so as well.

_Draco! Please! Where are you?_

"What's going on between you and Malfoy in the first place…" Zabini's suspicion was suddenly aroused. "What're you here for? I don't remember Malfoy and Granger ever being the least bit chummy around here…"

"I told you I wanted him to explain something! I…I was unfairly treated!" Hermione was nearly yelling, desperation showing in her eyes.

Zabini saw it, and couldn't help smirking. "You're a bad liar, Granger. Absolutely."

He raised his wand.

"Blaise."

The low voice was unmistakeable.

But it was so…so weak. It was almost a whisper. But it was enough to shake Zabini from his concentration, and Hermione nearly let out a gasp.

Draco was leaning against the side of the passage, his eyes half closed, one clearly sporting a terrible swell, the purplish-black contrasting against his ghostly white countenance. His face was filled with unusual-looking cuts and bruises, and his arm was dangling by the side in a rather unnatural angle. His hands gripped the banisters so tightly his knuckles were white, and his knees seemed to be trembling under the layers of robes over them. What was more appalling was that he seemed to be wincing with every little heaving movement he made from breathing, and he looked ready to collapse any moment.

"I told you to stay inside!" Zabini hissed angrily, rushing forward to support Draco. Then he glared back at Hermione. "I hope you're satisfied with what you've done, Granger!"

"You…" Hermione began, trying to hide her horror, but Draco stopped her by whispering. "It's…not her."

"Stop shielding her, Draco Malfoy! Honestly, I don't know what the hell is going on between the two of you. She's been waiting here and nearly getting hexed by me just because she wants to know where you are and you tell me she's not responsible for your plight!"

"Shut up, Blaise." Draco muttered, closing his eyes.

Blaise Zabini gave an ugly look at Hermione, but he said no more.

_Go, Hermione. Leave this place. _

_Draco, what happened to you!_

_I'll…I'll tell you later._

He winced again as Zabini helped him back down. Hermione turned away, hot tears filling her eyes. She knew – she knew what had happened to him. She knew that actually, Zabini was right – she was responsible for what had happened to him. She was selfish – she only cared about her good friends; she never realised that other people, in order to protect her selfish desires, ended up getting hurt for it.

Upon thinking of that, she realised – she had to do something.

She had to do something to stop it all.

---

Harry returned to the common-room, his head aching. It hadn't been a very good day at all. He had tipped a drop too many into his cauldron and produced a sizzling dirty pink liquid which was a far cry from the correct blue colour it was supposed to generate. Snape had, as usual, emptied his cauldron with a swish of a wand and offered some terribly cutting comments. Strangely enough, Hermione's one did not meet the exact shade of blue required, and she had not whined about it. He had also met Naomi Whittington earlier on, who was in a bad mood, and had suddenly launched upon him with regards to the ban of the Quidditch pitch and that nobody in the Gryffindor Quidditch team was going to be fit to play on match day if there was no practice. Harry had not enjoyed her 'lecture' at all. What had compounded matters further was the look on Ginny's face earlier on, and the hurried way in which she had left. Harry knew that something was just not quite right, and he looked around the common room for her.

"Ginny?"

The common-room returned an echo, as most of the Gryffindors had retired to their dormitories by then. He had spent a bit too long trying to trudge along to the common-room, he thought rather annoyedly.

Then he paused for a bit.

"Ginny?"

He made his way to the corner of the staircase leading to the dormitories. A red-haired girl was sobbing into her arms, giving horrible convulsions as she did so.

"Ginny!" Harry gasped, and ran forward to kneel before her. "Ginny, what's wrong?"

Ginny shook her head violently, and continued to sniffle, though her sobs were dying down. "Go away," she whispered in a muffled voice.

Harry didn't know what to do, so he reached out to stroke her hair awkwardly. Gradually, her sobs died down, and she slowly leant against Harry as he continued to stroke her hair in silence.

Finally, she lifted her head up. Harry felt a stab of pain when he saw how swollen her beautiful green eyes were, and how her fringe had been mussed up terribly because of her convulsions earlier on. Her eyes were full of – no, it was empty. It was hollow, in fact. Harry was a little startled to see that expression in her usually dancing eyes, when he had expected sadness, misery, or even anger. He had not expected…fear.

"Harry…" she whispered, her voice so raw that Harry couldn't help but hold her closer as though she had been exposed to a lot of pain. "Harry…he…he…"

"Take your time," said Harry, though he was urging her to continue deep inside.

"I'm so scared of him – he's a _Death-Eater_ and he…yet, he turns on them…"

"Malfoy?" Harry stared in bewilderment. "What about Malfoy?"

"He turned against her…" Ginny whispered, clutching Harry's robe sleeves. "And she…she tried to k-kill m-me…" at which point, Ginny began to shiver all over again, and Harry held her tight against him.

Harry had thought she had meant Hermione at first, but when it came to the part about killing Ginny, Harry had no doubt that the girl had to be Pansy Parkinson. Yet… "he turned against her" sounded so…unbelievable…

Harry knew better than to ask Ginny any further, so he guided her to the door of her dormitory. Once he was back in the middle of the empty common-room again, his eyes narrowed, and he began to wonder where had Hermione gone to.

---

_I'm very tired. I don't want to say a thing._

_You said you would tell me. You have to._

_When did you – when did you start telling me what to do? Did you know I am…oww!_

_Draco!_

_Shut up. I don't need…_

_I know you don't need it. Or so you say. You jolly well know better. Now YOU shut up about such things and get on with what happened. _

There was silence.

_Draco!_ The voice was almost pleading. _What…what happened today amongst you, Ginny…and Pansy?_

_ARRRGHHH!_

_Draco, are you okay!_

_I just banged my arm. It's banged up enough._

_Tell me._

Her voice was so sincere and heartbreaking that he could not say anything else but the truth.

_Pansy tried to kill Weasley for me. I got there in time…to stop her. I…I just couldn't bring myself to kill the girl – Pansy knew it…and she tried to do it instead – but I just couldn't let her either…argh! I'm going insane! To hell with everything!_

Hermione sucked in a few deep breaths as she lay back on the cushions in the Room of Requirement. She had just paced outside muttering three times that she needed a place to communicate with Draco Malfoy, and the door had appeared, thankfully.

_Did…did he, you know…_

_He cast the Cruciatus curse on me._

Hermione gasped in horror. _He what!_

_What's new?_ The laughter was so sarcastic. _One of his old hobbies. I was waiting for something newer to come round and whack me up pretty badly._

_I can't believe you're still laughing about it! You…you looked terrible!_

_Why…feeling the pain?_

Hermione felt an uneasiness rise in her, as well as a rather strange feeling of…embarrassment…as he said that. _You think too highly of yourself, Draco Malfoy._

_I don't know what to do now._ The serious tone had seeped back into his voice, and Malfoy winced as he said it; it sounded terribly pathetic. _Oh God, what is WRONG with me. Why am I being such a pathetic person!_

_That's because you have emotions, Draco, you're not a cold-blooded person like Voldemort is. You won't kill an innocent person._

_You think you know me very well, huh. I'm still a Death-Eater no matter what._

_You didn't choose to become one, Draco. Lucius made you, didn't he?_

_Shut up._

_Stop telling me to shut up. I'm telling you the truth._

_Stop acting smart, Granger!_

The revertion back to the surname basis hit Hermione rather plainly, and she gritted her teeth. The cogwheels in her brain were spinning, as she closed her eyes against the soft feel of the cushions beneath her throbbing head.

_Did he tell you anything?_

_Tell? You're such a mild creature, Hermione. He practically engulfed my head with his rage. _

Hermione felt a shiver run down her spine.

_He said he was not going to tolerate inconsistency._ Suddenly, Draco's voice had lost all confidence, and fear was beginning to be exposed. _He…he said that if I don't kill Ginny by the end of the next week…he would kill me._

_He would kill me._ That very phrase echoed in Hermione's mind over and over again.

It was only then, that the wheels of Hermione's mind had stopped its tireless spinning, and seemed to move in a rather systematic rhythm – Once. Twice. Thrice. And it went on, doggedly. Logically. Her lips moved into a rather tight smile, as she sat up from the cushions, her hands clenched into fists.

_You know what? I have a plan. _


	25. You've Been Tainted

**Disclaimer:** I think Milo-inspired characters are more flexible than coffee-inspired characters, given the fact that Hermione Granger refuses to love Draco Malfoy in Ms Rowling's stories, so they should be more contented in mine.

**A/N:** Sorry for the late update again! Was busy with a performance...this time round a bit shorter than usual, but nonetheless exciting! I'm sorry the story is getting long in terms of numbers of chapters, but I think that's what makes it tantalising...read on!

AtTheEndofTheTable / sccrchick1432: Thanks for reviewing, you people HAVE to move beyond chapter 1! Haha:)  
blueeyedchibi: I got more reviewers this time round! Thanks so much for your encouraging words, it really made my day! Hope you enjoy this next chapter - not much Hermione/Draco interaction, but you can definitely see a lot more action coming up!  
queenofthelameos: Here you go, next chapter! Hope you enjoy it!  
glitterglow: Thanks for reviewing and here's your next chapter, served with lots and lots of cheer!  
kriitikko: Here's where you get more - enjoy! Thanks so much for reviewing :D

* * *

"Mister Malfoy, could you please tell the class what colour the Shultzen Potion is supposed to be?" came Snape's sneering voice, as he peered over Neville's cauldron, with a smirk plastered on his face. Neville was so white – and looking ready to fall head over heels into his cauldron if Snape was to tap him on his head with his wand.

"I'm sorry, sir, but my cauldron happens to be empty at the moment," replied Draco, in a lazy voice, his arms hanging off his chair in a most casual manner. Everyone turned around and gaped at him. Hermione eyed him, but did not say more as she stirred her lilac-coloured potion in a very systematic way.

"What did you say, Draco?" asked Snape, rather dangerously, his eyes narrowing into slits. It reminded Draco of how Pansy had looked when he had been struggling to hide from her his reluctance to obey the Dark Lord – and how most Slytherins looked in general, actually. All like slimy, vile snakes. Pansy herself happened to be as focused on her potion as Hermione, though equally lost in thought.

"I said, my cauldron is empty. I haven't added a thing in." Draco nodded, nonchalantly. Harry was completely bewildered by Draco's response, and tried to look to Hermione for a sign but Hermione was now very interested in sifting something out of her cauldron that seemed to be affecting her potion.

"That will do. See me after class, Draco. I have something to inform you about," said Snape, rather casually, but eyeing his precious pupil with a rather dirty look. Seamus muttered something about "blatant favouritism" but immediately looked back to his dirty-blue potion when Snape swung his cape in his direction.

When the class had filed out of Potions class (rather hurriedly), Draco marched up to Snape's table and pretended to make a show out of being fascinated by the various coloured potions in the vials lined up in a vial-holder on the table.

"Draco."

Draco continued to fix his gaze upon a swirly green liquid in one of the vials.

"Draco!"

The accompanying thump on the table jerked Draco very much, but he chose to turn his gaze to Snape very slowly. "Yes, sir."

"What is wrong with you today?" demanded Snape, seething with rage, but trying to control himself very much. "You know jolly well you have to be less conspicuous nowadays, especially when you've just failed your recent task miserably!"

"Like you care!" snorted Draco, glaring at Snape, who glared back even more fiercely.

"I will take no cheek from you, Draco Malfoy. Kindly explain what you have been doing in my class today instead of focusing on your potion."

"Thinking about how to disrupt the next lesson, I suppose," declared Draco, in a silky voice. Snape stared at his favourite student in bewilderment. "What has gotten into you, Draco? You can't stand a moment's Cruciatus and you behave like a rebel in my class? Do you know what will happen if the Dark Lord knows you're behaving conspicuously and affecting your cover?"

"What cover!" spat Draco, rather vehemently. "Everyone in the whole damned school knows I am a bloody Death Eater. They can see through me all they want!"

Snape narrowed his eyes at Draco. "You've been _tainted_."

"Tainted by what!" Draco scoffed.

"You should know better," replied Snape, suddenly sounding less interested in Draco. "Time will tell. Meanwhile, you had better give me an essay of 1500 words on the effects of the Shultzen Potion by tomorrow evening. If I don't get it, you will get your very own special detention…" and he leant forward to glare right into Draco's silvery eyes. "By someone _very_ special."

Then he sank back into his chair and was absorbed in marking scripts in a very mildly calm manner.

Draco left the classroom, his head spinning wildly.

_You've been tainted._

Tainted? Draco cautiously looked round him, down the empty hallways, before he slowly rolled up his sleeve to reveal the sinister-looking Dark Mark – it seemed to be eating into his flesh as he remembered the excruciating pain in which it sank into his skin…

_Hell yes, I've definitely been._

---

"What's wrong with Malfoy today? I've never seen him so vehement towards Snape before!" remarked Parvati, rather surprisedly as the Gryffindors trudged back to their common-room.

Harry looked at Hermione, who was busy trying to stuff her book into her bag, so he was trying to wait for her to stop fidgeting so he could ask her.

"Maybe he's just trying to get attention again!" snorted Seamus. "He's always trying to play up to Snape; maybe for once, he's just trying to be funny by rebelling!"

"He's not so free!" snapped Hermione, who had finished latching her bag and was glaring at all of them.

Everyone stopped short and looked at her in surprise.

Hermione looked belligerently around them. "What?"

"Not like you to stick up for that ferret…" muttered Dean, who was immediately whacked on the head by Lavender.

Hermione didn't say anything, and continued walking. Seconds later, she felt the whole troop continue their march towards the common-room behind her, this time in silence.

This was why she loved being a Gryffindor.

Meanwhile, Harry was just walking at the back, his mind full of things he could not piece together…what a puzzle…

---

The Slytherin common-room was so eerily silent that you could drop a pin, and its echo could be heard all round the corners of the room. All of a sudden, the fireplace lighted in a blaze, and its red-orange flames licked the wood up hungrily. Stepping in front of it, was an equally fiery-eyed girl, whose green-black cape billowed as the chilly wind swept through the common-room once the door was opened.

He strode in, heading towards the staircase.

"You had better have an explanation ready."

Her silky voice stopped him, reminding him of what he sounded like earlier on.

His eyes narrowed into slits, and in a surprise move, he tilted back his head and laughed. The girl gazed at him in amazement. It had been weeks since she had heard him laugh like that. Laugh the way he used to…the old, cunning, sly, _Slytherin Prince_.

She left the fireplace and started to walk towards him. "Draco…"

"You're all fools, all of you." He whispered, sneering.

She raised her eyebrows questioningly at him.

"I have fooled everyone!" He looked into her eyes triumphantly, his silver eyes dancing in evil glee. "Soon, I shall be able to complete my tasks, and the Dark Lord…" his smile deepened into a smirk. "…will be appeased!"

Her curled lip straightened; her mouth snapped into a delighted line. "Draco – have…have you really a plan?"

"Even Snape was fooled by me…" and he chuckled. "Now they think that I am denouncing my status as a Death Eater – they will lower their guard against me…"

"…and you can carry out your tasks without them fearing that you will! Oh, Draco, you are brilliant!" In a moment of adoration, she completely forgot that he had just failed his second task – but in an instant, she remembered. "But Draco…w – why were you so…"

"So cold a few days ago?" He smirked, staring coldly in front of him. "Because I wanted to let the Weasley girl go."

She looked confused. "But…"

"You know something?" His eyes gleamed. "Because of that, the mudblood believes every single word I say. I can twist her round my finger anytime I want to, anyway I want to…because I was so compassionate to her _filthy_ friends!" He spat as he said so, and Pansy's eyes shone. "I endured two rounds of failure – and from now, I can properly lead the junior Death Eaters to accomplishing tasks for the Dark Lord…if she finds out I succeed in completing the task, she will only think I'm trying to play along…"

"An act…" whispered Pansy, tears of joy glittering in her eyes. "Oh, I was so worried, Draco! You endured so much torture for all that!"

He merely smirked again. "You worry too much, Pansy."

"The Dark Lord will be so pleased to know that he has found such a dedicated servant in you!"

His eyes travelled towards the fireplace.

"So…what are your plans?"

Draco Malfoy turned towards Pansy, his eyes hardening.

"Watch me land the Weasley girl right beside her brother!"


	26. The Second Task

**Disclaimer:** Hey, you know what, today I sort of passed by 4 Privet Drive, and I think I saw Harry Potter waving to me! Think I'm nuts? Let me tell you something else, I wrote the Harry Potter books! How's that? ... alright I must be rather deluded. J.K. Rowling, thankfully, has not descended to any similar delusive state.

**A/N:** I am SO sorry this took SUPER long because I was so busy with stuff! 2 whole months -apologises profusely- never mind, I wrote a rather long one to make up for it, and it's packed with tension! So hope you enjoy it very much!

terra: Thanks for reviewing - hope you continue enjoying the story!  
queenofthelameos: Ooh rather frightening wasn't it? This one gets a notch up on the tension scale!  
blueeyedchibi: Sorry for the really late update! Anyway I hope you like this one )  
glitterglow: I really have no idea, Draco is so unpredictable S but then again, to find out, read on!

* * *

"I think if Ron was here, I'd not be the only one doing this essay!" said Neville, woefully, as he twirled his quill round, obviously not knowing how to start the essay. "Has anybody got a clue on the properties of the Shultzen Potion?"

"You know I get by Potions on a daily basis based on fluke results," muttered Seamus, raising his hands in objection.

Everyone else then looked at the bushy-haired girl sitting by the window, looking out with a glassy expression plastered on her face.

"Does _anybody_ have the faintest idea what is wrong with Hermione?" asked Dean, at last. "She's been like that ever since she came in." Then he looked at Harry. "Has something happened to Ron?"

"Ron's still the same," whispered Harry, who was looking at Hermione as well. "Still…still not awake."

"Then what's she worrying about?" asked Neville, putting aside his quill. "Why just now, she made a bit of a fuss, didn't she, when Seamus remarked about Malfoy? Has…has she gone a bit nutty over that boy?"

"I wouldn't be surprised, Draco Malfoy is really quite a handsome boy!" cooed Lavender, dreamily, and got a thwack on her head by Seamus, who got a scowl in return. "I mean, apart from the fact that he is a Slytherin."

"How about, the fact that he is a Slytherin totally plays down the cool factor?" demanded Dean. "I mean…"

He didn't finish his sentence as at that very moment, a very scared-looking first year came whizzing through the portrait hole, right in front of the sixth-years. Harry immediately recognised the first year as a very cheeky-looking boy called Roger Andrews, but Roger was no longer the cheeky kid who declared to everyone around him that he was going to turn one of the Professors into a toad one day. His hair was in a complete mess, his cheek was a little swollen, and his arm was quite bruised. His eyes lost its sparkle; instead fear clouded over them, and his chest heaved greatly as he tried to catch his breath. His knees looked like they were going to buckle any moment, so Seamus swiftly fetched a chair for the boy to sink into.

"Roger, what's gotten to you?" asked Lavender, in amazement.

"I…I…Harry Potter…" Roger looked fearfully at Harry. "He…he wants to…he wants to see you outside…I…I don't want to go out…I…I'm afraid of him!"

_He_ was definitely no other than Draco Malfoy, Harry was certain, and now Harry was nearing boiling point upon seeing the mildly battered state of Roger. _First he Petrifies Ron, then he nearly kills Ginny, then makes Hermione upset, now he starts upon bullying others! _

Neville got up rather violently, his essay and quill and everything else on his lap crashing to the ground. "Harry, I'll go with you!"

"Shut up, Neville, I'll handle it," muttered Harry, though secretly grateful for Neville's valour. "I want to do this on my own. I've had enough of that ferret!"

Harry made his way out of the common-room, only to see Draco Malfoy leaning over the banisters, staring at the constantly-moving staircases below. His tousled silvery blond hair seemed to have lost a bit of its sparkle, and he almost looked weary, leaning over so heavily. There was a fleeting sense of pity that came over Harry, but passed quickly as Malfoy got up and turned around.

"Hello, Potter." Draco Malfoy smirked.

"Malfoy, I've had enough of this. What gave you the right to hit Roger?"

"Who ever said I did? Did he tell you? No? Then Potter, I am sure you must know it is not right for one to accuse basely. It is not very polite," laughed Draco, his eyes glittering dangerously. "Perhaps, I thought you might want to enquire as to why I asked you out?"

Harry glared at Draco. "What do you want?"

"A little chat."

The mere idea of chatting away with Draco Malfoy was so ridiculous that Harry couldn't help smirking, then bursting out with laughter. Draco remained stoid as he watched the Boy with the Scar laugh away helplessly, clutching onto the banisters in order to steady himself from all the rocking. When Harry finally took a deep breath and stopped laughing, he couldn't help giving Draco an incredulous look. "You want a chat with me? Go on, I'd like to hear what you have to chat about."

"Your friend, Potter. That Mudblood."

As far as Harry knew, the so-called truce that Hermione and Draco seemed to be having had obviously disintegrated.

"Her name is Hermione Granger, which I'm sure you know very well."

"Whatever," said Draco, shrugging his shoulders. "I just wanted you to tell her something from me."

"Why can't you tell her yourself?" demanded Harry.

"I have no wish to talk to that snivelling Mudblood anymore!" Draco spat, rather ferociously. "You can jolly well tell her that I've only been toying with her feelings, and if she ever thought I actually stooped so low as to like her, she's just been deluding herself." He proceeded to smirk even more after that, looking rather pleased with himself.

Harry was nearly hitting the brink of rage; he clenched his fists and made sure it wasn't going anywhere near his pocket, although his fingers were itching to make a grab at the wand there. "You beast, what have you done to her!"

The portrait door suddenly opened again, and both boys swung around to see a rather pale-faced Hermione rush out of the Gryffindor common-room. She looked at Harry to Draco, then Draco to Harry, and her face became even more ashen-coloured. "You two…"

Then suddenly Draco's eyes lighted up, and he began to grin rather evilly. "You want to know what I did? I'll show you!"

With that, Draco suddenly lunged forward and grabbed the shocked Hermione by the waist and pressed himself against her, violently slamming his lips against hers. Harry gasped, and tried to jump in, but Draco's grip on Hermione was too tight. Hermione whimpered loudly, and immediately, Draco let go.

Hermione fell to the floor, panting heavily. Draco backed against the banisters, looking at her, his eyes a mix of triumph and something rather incomprehensible. Harry rushed forward to help Hermione up, looking around for any trace of people, but there were none. Hermione was shaking as Harry helped her up, her eyes looking at nowhere else but the floor.

"I hope you're satisfied, you beast!" hissed Harry.

All of a sudden, the portrait door swung open once more, and a completely horrified-looking Lavender with tears pouring down her cheeks appeared, her hair in a complete mess. "Harry! Hermione! Something's happened to Ginny!"

Losing no time, Harry left Hermione to Lavender, and he rushed into the common-room, where there was a crowd gathered below the staircase to the girls' dormitory. He squeezed through the people, and dashed upstairs to the dormitory, flinging the door open without a care that there was another crowd of girls in there, some crying and some screaming.

He pushed past the hysterical girls, and before him, on the bed, was Ginny.

She was still.

"Ginny!" Harry cried out, horrified. He flung himself forward to shake her. "Ginny, wake up! Ginny!" With a terrible feeling rising up within him, he grabbed a crying fifth-year beside him by her wrists, causing her to shriek a little. "Ella, what's wrong with Ginny!"

"I…I don't know!" wept Ella. "I just came into the room and there she was, lying there like that! Pam…Pam says one moment Ginny was sitting on her bed, reading her book, and the next, she just fell backwards…fell like a puppet with its strings cut!"

"She…she drank something just now!" Pamela offered, the only one who seemed less hysterical in crying, but was somewhat very excited. "There, on her drawer!"

Harry grabbed the cup, and his heart sank. Seeing the traces of sparkling black in it, he knew immediately that it was the Aldor Poison, one of the most lethal poisons in the wizarding world that could easily wipe out a life within milliseconds. The only problem was that it was hard to get it, and it had to be someone skilled in the Dark Arts in order to gain access to the Poison.

He turned his attention back to Ginny, whose breaths were as small as almost non-existent, and he feared for the worst.

---

"This is absolutely atrocious! How did the Aldor Poison make its way into the grounds of Hogwarts?" demanded Professor McGonagall. "It is a _banned_ chemical that only those very skilled in the Dark Arts could access!"

"How is she, Poppy?" asked Professor Dumbledore, gravely.

Madam Pomfrey looked jittery. "Not very good, I'm afraid, sir, she's been looking darker and darker; I'm afraid the Poison has gotten deep into her veins. It is rather strange though; the progress of the Poison is slightly more dangerous-looking than usual…it usually doesn't spread so fast! Professor, we must have the antidote soon, or we'll lose her!"

"Professor Snape?" Dumbledore looked at his Potions master, who returned his inquiring look with a stony expression. "I'm sorry to say that as of yesterday, I am unable to locate the antidote that we have in the storeroom."

"What?" Professor Nell jumped up, in amazement. "Not have it? What happened to it?"

"Pesky kids, I do suppose," said Professor Snape, matter-of-factly. "Or, I could have just used it for my own purposes yesterday. As far as I know, the Shultzen Potion that I am teaching the sixth-years requires a small amount of the antidote for its final touches. Although I am skeptical, because so far Hermione Granger is the only one who has successfully completed the Potion to the stage whereby I have lent her the antidote for her final touch."

"Are you saying, Severus, that Miss Granger is the thief?" Professor McGonagall demanded.

"I am not saying anything," said Snape. "But I was just offering a suggestion."

"Minerva, would you kindly tell Miss Granger to see me in my office once we are done with this meeting?" asked Professor Dumbledore, rather placidly. Then he turned to the rest of the staff. "We must find out where the antidote is. For the moment, please keep on your toes, and keep a closer lookout for the students. Ginny Weasley is in a critical stage, and we must not let things worsen at all."

"Professor Snape, I am beginning to doubt how anyone could have stolen the antidote so coincidentally before Ginny Weasley's unfortunate attack," mused Professor Nell, as the staff made their ways back to their respective classes.

"Glaston, I would be very interested to know why you are so concerned. I think you should know fully well whose side you are on."

"Yes, Severus, that I know for sure. But I am just curious…"

"I prefer not to disclose any information regarding any of my practices. As far as I know, I have been diligent in handling whatever I do, so there is no room for any doubt, Glaston. Now if you please, I have a lesson to attend to."

With that, Severus Snape swung his ominous-looking black cape around him and departed swiftly, while Glaston Nell stood musing. Then he gathered himself and began to walk in the opposite direction.

---

"I don't believe I asked for you, Mr Potter?"

Harry felt his face flaming red as he stood before the Headmaster with a trembling Hermione Granger by his side. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to intrude, Professor. But I thought I had better come, given…given Hermione's state."

"What has happened to Miss Granger?" Professor Dumbledore looked at Hermione, his face not betraying any emotions.

"I…she…oh Professor, I fear Draco Malfoy is becoming a greater threat than before!"

"Draco?" And this time the Professor did frown. "What about Mr Malfoy?"

Harry felt tongue-tied. Then he finally brought himself to say it. "Malfoy's been atrocious – he's Petrified Ron, he's beaten people up, he's – oh god, he's been toying with Hermione's feelings and leaving her in this state! He just violently…violently assaulted her just now! He's a Death-Eater for goodness sake, Professor, he needs to be dealt with!"

"As far as I am concerned, Harry, Mr Malfoy is not…"

"DAMN IT HE'S MADE MY TWO FRIENDS BECOME ALMOST SENSELESS, HE'S LEFT ME WITH ALMOST NOTHING AND NOW GINNY WAS PROBABLY NEARLY MURDERED BY HIM WHY THE HELL IS NOTHING BEING DONE?" Harry suddenly burst out, enraged. He left Hermione standing where she was, ran forward and slammed his fists against Dumbledore's table. "I can't take it anymore, Professor! I can't see my friends get taken away from me one by one by that bloody Death-Eater!"

"Will you calm down, Harry!" Professor Dumbledore said rather fiercely, but somehow gently. "You have absolutely no evidence against Mr Malfoy for any of these things!"

"I saw, with my own eyes, how he kissed Hermione forcefully, and from his own mouth confessed it was the second time!"

Professor Dumbledore looked at Harry, then he turned to Hermione. "Miss Granger, will you come up please?"

Hermione remained where she was. Exasperated and desperate, Harry grabbed her arm and pulled her forward.

"Miss Granger, is it true – what Mr Potter has said?"

Hermione raised her hazel eyes to Dumbledore's, and the Professor saw the weariness that shadowed the youthful pretty look of Hermione's. _Poor girl, having to endure so much at her age,_ thought Dumbledore.

"Hermione!" urged Harry, but Dumbledore raised a hand to him. "Miss Granger?"

"Yes."

"There, you see it, Professor!" Harry leapt up, angrily. "And why is it so coincidental that I should be outside with Hermione – when we recognise Dark Arts traces better than the rest – with Draco Malfoy, when Ginny is being attacked indoors? He must have arranged this somehow!"

"That will come later, Mr Potter. I asked Miss Granger here for a more serious matter on her part," said the Headmaster, gravely, as he turned towards Hermione. "Miss Granger, Professor Snape has reported loss of the antidote to the Aldor Poison, which he says he has given you for the last touches of your Shultzen Potion. Is this true?"

"Sir…" Hermione's voice was almost in a whisper. "I took it from him…and I spilt it."

"You what?" Harry was bewildered, but Professor Dumbledore looked very gravely at the shaking girl. "Miss Granger, this is very serious. Did you not clear the antidote back into its container? It contains the only possible way that Ginny Weasley may revive once again. Otherwise, her condition may deteriorate terribly!"

Hermione shook her head slowly, and sadly. "Gone…it was gone…I didn't dare tell Professor Snape – I … I was too scared…"

Harry looked completely despaired, as he sank to the ground and clutched at his robes. Hermione just stood there, her eyes completely blank, with a sad expression on her face. Professor Dumbledore looked from one to the other, his eyes narrowing down in particular at Hermione.

This was not going to be easy at all.

---

"Draco, I see everything went as planned…" she laughed, twirling her hair around her fingers as she sauntered across the common-room to sit beside the stone-faced boy, whose gray eyes darkened with every word she said. "Now…Granger will have to answer to the lost antidote – and she will deny it of course…when it's here…"

She lifted the shiny green vial from the table and swirled its contents lightly. "So brilliant, Draco…so brilliant…not a single drop lost at all!"

He looked at her triumphant face, and her sparkling eyes. A smirk spread across his chiselled face, and he shifted his gaze to the fire. It seemed to be roaring with glee; its orange sparks darting about in a gay dance, with yellow flames licking the edges of the fireplace…yet…within it…he could almost see a face…

He tore himself away from the frightening image. He was a Death-Eater, yet he couldn't stand looking at the horned figure the flames had outlined. The Devil. It was destined to be his role, always.

_She deserved it._


	27. Doubts

**Disclaimer:** If I had as much creativity as Miss Rowling, I wouldn't have to deal with the onslaught of academic tests and whatnot sob

**A/N: **Sorry my updating frequency is terrible I've been pretty busy! And unlike most authors, I don't write everything out at one go and take my time to upload chapters...which probably explains certain discontinuities in the stories, but I hope they're not too obvious!

Gwinna: Thank you awfully for reviewing, and I'm really glad you're enjoying the story so far. I don't know about reviews haha I think it's also the time difference factorbecause when I write, more than half the world is still asleep or sth. Lol. Here's the next chapter to satisfy your craving!  
pinkicing101: Here's the update; thanks for reviewing!  
queenofthelameos: Well...is it her plan? I don't know! Read on to know more:)  
blueeyedchibi: I'll definitely review your fics when they come out. Thanks so much for supporting my fic and reviewing so faithfully!  
pocahantas: Thanks so much for the compliments, here's the next chapter for you to enjoy!

* * *

The doors of the Great Hall burst open, and Draco Malfoy strode in, the classic smirk on his face taunting everyone in the Great Hall to say anything against him. Behind him, was an equally-smug Pansy Parkinson, who brushed back her black curls in a huge action for effect. 

Harry glared at the duo as they made their way to the Slytherin table, amidst the chuckles and thumbs-up that the Slytherins were giving them. His chest was burning, and so was his head. He had just spent the entire night looking after Ginny at the hospital wing, and now his head was throbbing madly. He cast a glance at Hermione, who was sitting in front of him, and a pang of pain hit him as he watched his best friend pick at her food listlessly.

"I'm not eating," said Hermione, finally.

"Is it because of Malfoy? Hermione, you don't have to care about him."

"I don't care tuppence for him."

"Oh yes you do, Hermione. If not, you wouldn't have had covered up for him in the whole Slytherin-Gryffindor Quidditch saga, you wouldn't have not told us about your telepathy with him till so late, and you wouldn't have been so dazed all the time."

"Shut up, Harry."

Harry did shut up. But as he looked back down on his food, he knew he couldn't swallow another mouthful either.

_Is the mudblood angry? Ooh, the mudblood's angry._

Hermione's fists clenched; the fork in her grip shook hard. Harry didn't notice it as he was busy trying to figure out his thoughts while staring at his food, but Neville did. He stared wide-eyed at Hermione's fists.

_How is the dear weasel girl? Is she still in her shocked state? Maybe she was too shocked at seeing – you know…_

Hermione gritted her teeth; the fork shook harder.

_Did the potty boy say anything? Oh he's reminded you of how wonderful I am, hasn't he? I suppose darling Granger has more to add, doesn't she? Remember how she succumbed to my kiss in the library? Aww, didn't Granger love it?_

Hermione's eyes were filled with tears as she heard his voice echo in her head. Then she pushed back her chair and walked out of the Great Hall, to the surprise of the Gryffindors. Harry made no attempt to go after her, merely stabbing at the peas with his fork. Neville watched her brown bouncy curls disappear from the door of the Hall, and then his eyebrows furrowed together, trying to make sense of the situation.

On the other side of the Hall, a pair of grey eyes flickered momentarily, before locking with Pansy's, and both smiled.

---

Harry sat between the beds of Ron Weasley and Ginny Weasley. His eyes flitted from one to the other, and his heart sank heavier with each look.

_Ron, Ginny, I wish you two would wake up soon and tell me who did this to you._

"Harry?"

Harry jerked from his reverie, and his eyes focused onto the figure at the door. "Professor Nell?"

The quirky-looking Professor smiled and made his way to Harry. "Having a nice chat with your friends?"

Harry didn't know what to say.

"I do suppose so," remarked Professor Nell, as he took a chair over and sat down rather clumsily in it. "So, how've you been so far? Haven't got to talk to you a lot. Still missing your parents?"

"I think they're right at the back of my mind now," muttered Harry. "Not to sound unfilial, but yeah."

Professor Nell turned his gaze to Ginny. "It's a crying shame this had to happen."

"Professor, you're skilled in the Dark Arts. Can't you figure out who could have come into possession of the Aldor Poison in school?"

"Harry, as far as I know, only one person is capable of brewing the Aldor Poison."

"Who?"

"Only one person is capable of doing so," continued Professor Nell, ignoring Harry's question. "because it is he who has the final ingredient, the most lethal. The Chroker's Eye."

"Chroker? What's that?"

"A particular bird with bright blue feathers, very pretty. Its eye contains elements that have the ability to mutate the genes in a person's body and basically, this mutation is highly lethal to people with wizard blood as the chemicals in the blood often respond very adversely to the mutation as they cannot adjust quickly enough to the changes. That's why the Chroker's Eye is the most dangerous ingredient in the Aldor Potion."

"But –"

"However, only one person in the entire wizarding world owns a Chroker. The reason for this is because Chrokers are a dying breed. There was only one left in the world due to the rest's inability to adjust to the changing climate of the world. He managed to extract its DNA and cloned it while the real one died. Therefore no other person has managed to get their hands on a Chroker."

"Is…is that person Voldemort?" asked Harry, his voice shaking.

Professor Nell turned to Harry. "I'm afraid so."

Harry's breaths came out ragged. "It was Draco Malfoy who did it for him. He gave Malfoy the Potion to kill Ginny."

Professor Nell looked at Harry. "Yes, I don't doubt that he had asked Mr Malfoy to carry out this task of getting rid of Miss Weasley. But Harry, I am rather puzzled. The Chroker's Eye has never failed to kill off anyone. Why is it that Miss Weasley is still vaguely alive?"

Harry shifted his gaze to Ginny. "I don't know. But she's one tough girl."

Suddenly, something clicked in Harry as he was looking at Ginny. He turned back to look at Professor Nell. "But Professor, how did you know that Voldemort keeps a Chroker? Nobody even knows where he is now."

"It's quite a well-known fact," replied Professor Nell.

Harry could have sworn he heard a quiver in his voice.

"He wouldn't have let anyone know he owns a Chroker. He would have done it on the sly."

"Harry, what are you trying to get at?" asked Professor Nell, a little dangerously.

"All I'm saying is, Sir," said Harry, rather haltingly. "How would you have known if he couldn't have told anyone…anyone but his – his followers?"

"Are you doubting me, Harry?" Professor Nell's eyes gleamed. Suddenly Harry didn't see the kind man whom he could relate with because both of them had lost their parents when they were young. Suddenly he didn't see the Professor whom he had trusted dearly and had chats with him when he was free, making him feel at ease. All he could see was a rather twisted smile on Professor Nell's face, his eyes narrowing at Harry.

"Sir, I don't wish to."

With that, Harry pushed aside his chair and walked out of the Hospital Wing, leaving Professor Nell eyeing him as he left.

Glaston Nell turned back to the two still teenagers on the beds before him. A sad smile formed on his face.

---

"Well done, Draco, well done…"

Draco Malfoy bowed his head in the dark grey mist, not wanting to look up.

"Look up, Draco." The curt voice echoed around.

He hesitantly lifted up his head. Through the mist, he could barely make out the haunting skullface of the Dark Lord floating within, dangerously…

"My Lord, it is my pleasure to serve you."

"Pity she's not wholly dead, is she?"

Draco's heartbeat nearly stopped as he heard the familiar voice ring from the back.

"What is it, Severus?" the Dark Lord's voice was laced with irritation.

"I'm just saying, my Lord, that the girl is not wholly dead yet."

"I am well aware. It is best off that she is in this state, then we can torture…Potter (he said it with such relish that Draco closed his eyes hard) so well…and then finally, get rid of her."

"Is it with such coincidence that the Aldor Poison fails to kill off its victims at one shot?" said Severus Snape, his eyes glinting as he glared at Draco.

"You must remember Ginny Weasley is not wholly of wizard blood – she is what they call a treacherous breed," said Draco, stoically. "The poison may not affect her as adversely as normal."

"Am I the Potions expert, or you?" asked Snape, menacingly, but he was stopped by the Dark Lord. "Enough! We will not discuss such matters at this point in time. Triviality, at most! What matters now is that two of Potter's close ones are down, as I hope you are clearly aware, Severus."

"Yes, my Lord," said Snape, grudgingly.

"I will forgive you on the grounds that you managed to shift the blame of the loss of antidote onto Hermione Granger quite successfully."

When Draco heard that name, his eyes fluttered a bit.

"My Lord, she is no more than a fool. It couldn't have been better that she spilt what I gave her and failed to clean up thereafter," laughed Snape, sinisterly. "She is so stupid to not know that I have the rest of the antidote still well and safe with me."

There was laughter ringing from all sides. The rest of the Death-Eaters, thought Draco, as he kept his eyes fixed on the floor.

"Draco."

"Yes, my Lord."

"Severus is not without point…your mission, however successful, has a glitch. But since the Weasleys are down, I suppose the next one, Draco, as you must know, is the mudblood."

_Hermione Granger._

"You mustn't kill her – she is highly useful to us, what with her level of intelligence. But once you get her, you will be fully redeemed, and you will be my most trusted minion!"

Draco Malfoy's eyes glittered harshly as he raised them to meet the Dark Lord's.

"Oh my Lord, I have come a step ahead then. I've got her with me."

Lord Voldemort raised his head, and behind Draco Malfoy, in the mist, was an unconscious girl, her brown curls in a heap…on the floor…still breathing, but barely…

Snape raised his eyebrows in amazement. "You…"

Draco Malfoy couldn't help but smirk at his Potions master. "Sorry, Professor, but I think I'm doing much better."

The Dark Lord began to laugh, not a hearty one, but a dangerously evil one, almost reverberating around the place, shaking everyone who was standing around.

"Well done, Draco, very well done…"


	28. Unexpected Realisations

**Disclaimer: **I don't think JK Rowling gets her inspiration through watching as many tv dramas as I do! So yeah all the writing here is just me, me and me. :)

-

**A/N:** First of all, **big time sorry!** to all who read the previous chapter...I have since corrected a mistake; the ingredient of the Aldor Poison is the Chroker's **Eye**, not the **Feather** as previously mentioned. Oops!

Next, I decided to do up this chapter early so that we can move on QUICKLY to some more Draco/Hermione stuff! At present, really sorry for the lack of it, but I need to do this so that the story can work effectively :) so yup bear with it, even with this chapter! There's only a small section regarding their interaction, but I PROMISE the next chapter will have more of it...this one requires lots of inferencing so happy guessing what is happening!

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queenofthelameos: I don't know! Read on to know more! Hahaha...  
blueeyedchibi: No I didn't catch the interview, and Draco mustn't die! Honestly I think his character can be developed more fully than to be a mere puppet of Voldemort and being so scared and stuff. -- geez I didn't like the way Draco was portrayed in book six, so I hope for a better portrayal in book seven! But I like MY Draco hahahaha...thanks so much for always reviewing!  
Gwinna: Does he have a reason? This chapter has plenty of revelations...try and infer! Thanks for your review!  
pinkicing101: Yeah he sounds mean alright, doesn't he! But why don't you read on and see for yourself? Haha thanks so much for reviewing too!

--- (horizontal rule not working) ---

Glaston Nell made his way to the Headmaster's office very swiftly. The gargoyle swung, and the stairs to the office came to view. Professor Nell wasted no time in rushing up and banging on the door.

"Come in, Glaston…" and Professor Nell barged in. He strode up to the Headmaster's table and banged his fists down on the table. Professor Dumbledore couldn't help remembering a certain boy doing the same thing before.

"I don't know how the boy beat me to it," hissed Professor Nell, his eyes boring into those of Professor Dumbledore's, who were amazingly calm. "But one thing's for sure, _he's_ going to find out now that things are not going as what was planned!"

"Calm down, Glaston," said Dumbledore, placidly. "I think I have a bit of explaining to do to you."

"You expect me to calm down?" Professor Nell smirked. "You know what he is capable of!"

---

"Has anyone seen Hermione?" asked Lavender, as she came rushing down from the common-room rather worriedly. All the sixth-year Gryffindors who were in the common-room immediately jerked up.

"What's happened?" asked Seamus, alarmed.

"She's not been there since I woke up, and Parvati went to the library just now and Hermione's not there either!"

"Where's Harry?" demanded Parvati, and at this moment, a tousled black-haired boy with unadjusted spectacles popped his head by the banister overlooking the common-room. "What?"

"Harry, have you seen Hermione?"

"I've just woken up," muttered Harry, massaging his forehead. "I conked out totally last night."

"Harry, Harry!" came Neville's urgent voice, and he appeared beside Harry with a drinking glass. "You've been drinking a spiked drink last night! There're traces of sleeping pills!"

"I – whatt?" spluttered Harry, as he grabbed the glass to examine it. True enough, the white residue of sleeping pills dotted the bottom of the glass. "Bloody – "

"I've a theory," remarked Dean, rather nervously. "That Hermione must have gone out in the night and somebody spiked Harry's drink so he wouldn't think that – ya know, that she's gone 'cos you people are good friends and you'd have known if she was out."

"That's the only plausible theory!" Lavender wailed, clearly distraught. "Now what?"

"We've got to tell the Headmaster!" cried Neville. With that, Harry immediately threw on his robes and kicked away his bedroom slippers as he put on his shoes. Just at that moment, Roger Andrews came speeding into the common-room again.

"What's it now, Andrews, haven't you any pace gear called "SLOW"?" yelped Parvati, whom the boy had nearly collided with given his bullet-pace dash.

"Har – Harry Potter! The people outside are whispering that the Slytherin people are looking for Draco Malfoy too! I thought may-maybe-he…"

"He must have abducted Hermione! To see the Dark Lord!" A look of horror formed on Neville's face. Wasting no time, Harry pushed past everybody as he ran out of the common-room and down the corridors towards the Headmaster's room.

_Scum of the earth. First he toys with her feelings, then he betrays her!_

Harry skidded in front of Dumbledore's office entrance, and was just about to call out to the gargoyle when he noticed that the stairs were moving of their own accord. Down the stairs….came Professor Nell.

"Professor Nell!" cried Harry, in disbelief. "What are you doing here?"

"Is it wrong that a staff member should come and pay a visit to the Headmaster?" asked Professor Nell, expressionless.

"Professor Nell –"

"I don't suppose you're reporting that Miss Granger and Mr Malfoy are missing?"

Harry gaped. "How did you know if you were here all the time. We've only just had a commotion!"

Professor Nell pointed to his head. "This. It'll get you far, Potter."

He was about to turn away, when Harry called out to him. "You know where they are, don't you? You came to see Dumbledore because you wanted to divert his attention from where they truly are, don't you?"

"Do you doubt me that much, Harry?" Professor Nell turned back, a smile almost as serene as the one he had seen on Professor Dumbledore's face a few minutes ago.

"You help him, don't you?" Harry whispered, his fists clenching. "You've been trying to get to know me, so that you could help him? The reason why Draco could get so close to Hermione is because you've been taking me with you all this time so I couldn't keep an eye on her…the reason how you could tap so close to me is because you know how much I care for Ginny and Hermione. And now Hermione is missing…you did this to her…because of me, wasn't it?"

Professor Nell's eyes flashed, then he sort of smirked and pointed back to his head. "You're using quite a bit of this, Harry."

And he swung his cloak and left.

Harry stood there staring at him. Then he immediately shouted out the password to the gargoyle. The stairs swung back in view, and Harry darted up the steps.

"Yes, Mr Potter, what can I do for you today?" asked Professor Dumbledore, calmly as the enraged boy wizard stomped up to his desk and banged his hands on the table. The Headmaster just had someone else bang on his table, and this time he couldn't help but frown a little. "What has happened?"

"I don't believe you don't know Hermione and Draco Malfoy are missing," hissed Harry, gritting his teeth so hard he could hear them grinding against each other.

"I do know, Harry, in fact I know where they are."

"What…?"

Professor Dumbledore gave Harry a knowing look.

Then light dawned upon Harry.

"Don't listen to Professor Nell, he's a liar!" cried Harry, in despair. "He works for the Dark Lord!"

To his utmost surprise, Professor Dumbledore smiled. "I know that, Harry."

"You know that?" Harry asked, incredulously. "You _know_ that?"

"Of course I do, Harry, I was the one who put him there."

This took a while to register. "You mean, he's a _spy_ for the Order?"

Professor Dumbledore chuckled. "If you may say so."

"Professor, I still don't trust him, he could be turning against you. Why, he could –"

"Well Mr Potter, you happen to be standing in front of a rather pristine white letter. If you notice, the white is rather marred in the centre by some words. I was wondering if you'd like to take a good look at it."

Harry snatched the note and sped-read the scrawled lines. At first, his eyes only had confusion. But then later they began to grow bigger. "This is – "

"I'm sure you're well aware of it, Harry."

"But – this means…oh my god!"

"This means, we don't have a lot of time. So why don't we take a little trip?" suggested Professor Dumbledore, as he got out of his seat, round the table and put his hand on Harry's shoulder. "And we'll need companions too."

---

Hermione awoke, coughing and spluttering a bit.

_Where am I?_

She began to brush off the filth covering her arms and legs, but shivered at the same time. The floor was so cold, and she had been lying on it for ages. Drawing her legs close to her, she could feel her entire body shaking.

Then, she remembered what had happened.

Tears coming to her eyes, she bit her lip as she huddled in the corner. _I'm scared._

"Why're you worrying so much?" a familiar voice came resonating through the darkness outside the cell. "Scared that no one will come and save you?"

Hermione refused to answer. She just sat there, rocking back and forth in her huddled state.

There was the sound of the key turning in the lock, and the gate swung open.

"Why don't you just get rid of me, it'll be so much easier," whispered Hermione.

"Don't be a fool, Granger. He wants them to come and save you and watch me kill you slowly in front of them."

"Precisely."

"Do you have so little faith in your meddlesome friends? I'd like to see how they would rescue you in such a short time."

"I…I don't know…"

He bent down to look at her, and his gray eyes locked with her chestnut brown ones.

_I'm scared._

Suddenly, Hermione realised that even as she was the one who was huddled in a corner, cold and dirty, she was not the only one having that thought.

---

"The magic of Hogwarts is that, no matter how much Dark Magic tries to penetrate our walls, it can never fully infiltrate it, and our students – those who genuinely believe in fighting Dark Magic, will definitely stand up against it, and never let it penetrate their bloodstream."

Harry was barely listening to Professor Dumbledore, as he stood staring in complete bewilderment at the two people before him, one with a comforting arm around the other, standing rather nervously in the Hospital Wing. Neville stood beside him, looking rather confused too.

"This…this can't be…Professor Sprout said – "

"It wasn't Professor Sprout, was it?" asked Ginny, nervously. Her eyes were bloodshot and weary, while Ron's wasn't any different. "I mean…the last time her Mandrake Potion worked only on those who were Stunned indirectly, not directly…"

Professor Dumbledore shook his head. "He lifted the magic himself. Nothing to do with countering hexes."

"Is that why he didn't know that the magic had been casted…you know, like it wasn't truly casted by…I mean like what you said, Dark Magic couldn't penetrate the walls of Hogwarts well enough, so he wouldn't have known what really happened?" asked Ron, his arm tightening around a shaking Ginny.

"Yes, you could say so, Mr Weasley."

"Oh, that's a relief…"

Before anyone else could say anything, Professor Dumbledore turned to Neville. "Mr Longbottom, I am sure you are well-versed in how the Shultzen Potion works?"

Completely baffled and embarrassed at the same time, Neville managed to nod.

"Excellent."

"I don't get all of this!" cried Harry, completely stunned at the amazing turn of events. "Who's the "he" you are talking about?"

"He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named," whispered Ginny, reaching forward to touch Harry's arm. "He didn't know we were – at least I was – a willing party of the magic."

"But…but how could you be a willing party of a poison?" gasped Harry, in total confusion. "I mean…"

"Before we answer that," said Ron, rather apologetically to Harry, but rather worriedly to the Headmaster. "He must have had some kind of plan – that's why he got us out of our Stunned states, didn't he?"

"He wants us to save Hermione!" said Ginny, rather angrily. "And he wants us to tell everyone it was Draco Malfoy who hexed us, who poisoned us, and therefore wants us to go and find Malfoy!"

"And Malfoy conveniently leaves behind a note saying that we should go watch Hermione die!" burst out Harry, furiously. "I'm sure that's what we're going to do; we're playing right into his hands!"

"That's what we're going to do," said Ginny, fiercely.

"What!"

"Harry doesn't know a thing," remarked Ron, who apparently had heard Ginny's version of the story when he awoke. "Time to tell him."

---

Hagrid yawned and got out of bed for his usual rounds to feed the magical creatures scattered about his house and in the forest. He would have class in about three hours' time, and he didn't want hungry animals stomping about the place, or he'd have another complaint lodged against him!

Hagrid was rather upset that none of the three children whom he had loved so dearly, came to visit him for the last week or two. _I hope they 'aven't got 'emselves caught up in some mess again! _

Then he remembered he hadn't fed some of the birds for days, because some breeds were able to go without food for days – if you fed them too often, they would go a bit wild. Feeling happy that he had remembered, he took the feed out to the coop, ready to feed them.

Just as he entered the coop, he noticed that the birds shied away from him.

"Ar ye Peastwiggers comin' ter eat yer food or yer not hungry yet?" asked Hagrid, concerned as he held out the feed. None of them made their way towards him. Some of them scurried away on their sturdy four feet. Hagrid was beginning to be puzzled, for he knew very well that it _really_ had been quite some time since he had fed them.

Then he saw something that made him gasp in horror.

"Blimey! No, this can't happen ter me, it can't, no…"

Behind the crowd of jittery birds lay a very sick-looking Peastwigger, and as it turned its head, a red blood clot filled where its eye once was.


	29. Half An Hour More

**Disclaimer:** I don't think snogging and thrashing about like eels is really the way to bring people together (as so J.K.Rowling suggests with Lavender and Ron) so try my dose of suspense and action and romance all bundled into one!

**A/N:** Sorry for the long pause! I won't be updating till after my examinations, which is end of September - pity! (unless I have the urge to do so)...this chapter proves to be a bit more of an answer to the previous one, though still a lot of inferencing needed! But at least, we've got some headway and ooh! some nice D/H moments - not explicit, but still...pretty interesting!

Gwinna: You've got quite a few good (and accurate) inferences! You will find out later on (not all in this chapter though) whether your inferences are correct. It IS quite complicated, but at the end, I'll make sure the jigsaw pieces are all in place!  
queenofthelameos: And here's the next chapter for you! Thanks for your review!  
blueeyedchibi: I have more mind-reading here:) much better eh? Thanks for your awesome review, here's the next chapter!  
Dragon of the Earth: Hagrid's creatures are his treasures! (think the burial of Aragog -shudders-) well here's to curb your disappointment, though I'm afraid chapter 30 won't come out till much later, but DO stay tuned cos it's going to be an exciting chapter anyway! Thanks awfully for the review, and hope you enjoy this one!  
pinkicing101: It was confusing, I admit! I hope this one sheds a bit more light, though it's still very indirect. But you'll get to see the whole picture in the next few chapters, so don't fret! Hope you enjoy reading this chapter :)

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There was barely any light in the room, and the air was terribly musty.

His silvery-blond hair somehow managed to gleam in the darkness. It was slicked back very neatly, just like it was when he was in the first two years.

_It's a very important day, isn't it?_

He didn't flinch.

Her eyes trailed from his hair to his eyes. The soft, gray eyes that she once saw, were now hardened, almost as cold as the stone wall she was leaning against.

_The day you prove yourself to him._

He still didn't move an inch, but his eyes seem to flicker.

"So, look who's here…"

He didn't spin around, but she looked towards the door.

Another mane of silver-blond came into view. The same colour, but not as bright. It was…shrouded in a sense of…

Evil.

"My, my, the mudblood is cold and lonely, isn't she?" laughed Lucius Malfoy, as his glinting eyes came to rest on Hermione. "I wouldn't have expected her to be so obedient, just like a subservient _dog_."

She shuddered as she heard him emphasise the word. She could almost feel herself ready to yelp any moment, in fear, and in obedience. Yet, he still remained stoic, not even turning around to look at his father.

"Draco, I expect you to be outside in an hour's time. It is your most important task yet, and if you accomplish it, your position in the Dark Lord's eyes will gain another notch. I am very proud of you thus far; do not let me down!"

With that, and a swish of his cloak, the silver-blond tresses whipped around and disappeared into the darkness.

_I'm scared._

The familiar phrase resounded through their minds.

This time, he turned around.

His gray eyes fell upon her brown ones.

_Dogs are loyal, aren't they? They'll keep it through, won't they? _He didn't smirk when he said that.

_They'll come._ Her eyes were full of determination. _They'll definitely come._

_---_

"I don't exactly _want_ to believe Ginny, but I suppose I have to…" said Ron, rather reluctantly. "I know it sounds kinda unbelievable, but it fits in perfectly."

"So it's not Voldemort who lifted the spell, it was – "

"Malfoy, yes."

"So are you trying to tell me that – "

Ginny's hand rested on Harry. She could feel his cold and clammy skin under her palm. "We can't judge people for who they seem to be, Harry. But we really don't have time to lose, we must find Malfoy and Hermione!"

"But how?" demanded Neville, who was extremely bewildered by what had just happened, despite the enlightenment that Ron and Ginny had tried to offer. Harry was looking completely dreadful, although the grit on his face was clear.

Professor Dumbledore turned to look at Harry. "I believe you have an idea?"

Harry looked confused. "I do?"

The wise Headmaster smiled and did a very familiar gesture: he pointed to his head.

Harry remembered Professor Nell as Professor Dumbledore did that, and then suddenly he thought "spy"…and then he remembered.

"8 o'clock, tower. Professor! I – "

And then he remembered he hadn't told Professor Dumbledore about the Dark Lord's entry.

"Professor! There was this day when Hermione and I found out that Voldemort had entered Hogwarts…and he was giving instructions to Draco Malfoy then! It was at the Astronomy tower, 8 o'clock, and…"

"Very good, Harry. Have you any idea how he entered?"

Harry furrowed his eyebrows. "I have absolutely no idea! I remember Hermione and I wanted to find out, but there was this whirlwind of events and…"

"I can't believe you guys did all these without me! First it was third year, then it was –" Ron's whines died out as Ginny glared at him, then looked back at Harry.

"Harry, can you try to think of possibilities? We know for sure he can't have used a Portkey or Apparated in, because of the magic of Hogwarts."

"If the magic of Hogwarts could stop him from being able to monitor Draco Malfoy properly, then it surely can't let him enter so easily. There really must be a way!"

"We have to find the way," muttered Ginny. "Because if that's the way he came through, we can use that way to find him, Malfoy and Hermione!"

Professor Dumbledore looked completely calm as the trio racked their brains.

Then Ron raised his head, eyes shining, though in a rather angry manner. "I think I know who might have the answer."

"You mean…" Ginny narrowed her eyes.

Ron nodded. "Pansy Parkinson."

---

The rough feel of the rope snaked around her hands, ready to tie itself into a great big knot, suffocating the veins of Hermione's small, but grubby wrists. She could almost picture it squeezing her wrists till her hands turned blue.

Yet, the ropes hesitated at the wrists, almost reluctant to add the final grip.

She opened her eyes, but he was no longer in front of her with his wand raised.

She could feel his heavy breath around her curls.

She could feel his strong, rough fingers trace her supple wrists, and she shuddered at his every touch. Then, she felt his fingers go round her wrist, and gently closed on the skin.

_Don't._

Her pleas failed to move him. His thumb rubbed gently against her wrists.

_Don't. You'll regret it._

_I won't._

Then he released her wrists, and she knew he was picking up the rope. She felt the rough rope go around her wrists once more, but this time, she knew he was doing it manually. While he tied the rope, the proximity between the two of them was making her heart race, and her eyes fluttered everytime his fingers bumped against her skin.

Finally, he gave a final jerk, and she winced.

She could feel the blood drain from her fingers. Yet, before she could lose any sense in them, she felt his fingers slip down to hers, and covered them.

She jerked away.

_You'll regret it. Please don't._

_I will never, ever regret it._

_---_

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Pansy Parkinson put on the most defiant look that she could manage, while standing in the middle of Professor Dumbledore's office, amidst the glares of Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley, Ginny Weasley, Neville Longbottom and Professor Dumbledore.

"Don't give us that bull, Parkinson, if you had the courage to hex me, why aren't you plucking it up again to prick your own conscience?" sneered Ron. "Or are you just a scaredy-cat who does everything she's told. Like when You-Know-Who wants something dirty done, you are his minion?"

"I'm not his minion!" hissed Pansy. She glared so vehemently at Ron that a shudder ran through him. She just couldn't believe he was well in front of her again when she had cast such a heavy Hex on him.

"I'm sure you can feel the Dark Mark on your shoulder, can't you? I'm sure you can remember when it was first imprinted on you," said Ginny, in a low, silky voice. "Pansy Parkinson, you're capable of Dark Magic to change the weather, you're capable of being able to sneak up behind Ron and hex him, but you're not capable enough to be the most trusted minion of You-Know-Who, aren't you?"

Pansy's eyes flashed. "I've never minded!"

"Miss Parkinson, I believe that so far," said Professor Dumbledore, joining in for the first time since the trio had decided to interrogate Pansy. "The school has tolerated the fact that you and Mr Malfoy are Death-Eaters because we believed –"

"That you wanted to give us a chance?" sneered Pansy. "I'm sorry, Professor, but that doesn't seem to be the case. If we had the chance, Draco wouldn't have to suffer, he wouldn't have to –"

Her voice died out.

"What's this about Malfoy suffering?" snorted Harry. "He's been having the time of his life enjoying being the Dark Lord minion, hasn't he?"

"Harry, it's not like that and you know it!" cried Ginny, angrily. Harry turned to face her, eyes flashing. "I'm sorry Ginny, but it's a bit too incredulous for my liking! How can he just be _acting_ when he's hurt Hermione so much!"

"I can't tell for sure!" retorted Ginny. "But the least you could do now is trust what we think is the most plausible situation at hand!"

"Can you two shut up!" Ron glared at both his best friend and sister. "We're interrogating Parkinson now, alright? This isn't the time to decide who's right and who's wrong! And would you," he said, turning to face a defiant Pansy. "tell us what is going on with Malfoy and You-Know-Who and everything else? I think you know best!"

"For once, the Weasel does have some brains to analyse!" sneered Pansy, though her look softened a little. She knew that the two Weasleys had assumed Draco was being nice to Hermione Granger and was only pretending to carry out his mission, but she couldn't help laughing deep inside, knowing how wrong they were. "But I know nothing of help to you."

"Sure you do!" cried Neville, for the first time since Parkinson had entered the office. Pansy merely smirked. "Oh Longbottom, you think you know a lot. I'm afraid not this time."

"Miss Parkinson, I am sure you know that I do practise a bit of Legilimency," said Professor Dumbledore, very calmly. "And I can choose as and when to exercise it. However, if you let me exercise it, you may let me know a lot more than what I am seeking for."

Pansy froze.

Harry glared at her; his mind was whirling with all the previous events of how first of all, Hermione was protecting Malfoy when she knew that he was indirectly responsible for the banning of the Gryffindor Quidditch team from the field, then how she could communicate with him through thoughts, how she and Malfoy interacted at the Hospital Wing, how they found Lord Voldemort and Malfoy at the Astronomy tower, how…

"So?" challenged Ginny.

Pansy turned away. "I'm not doing anyone any good by telling you this."

"You'll be doing Mr Malfoy and Miss Granger much good."

Pansy swung around and flashed her green eyes at Professor Dumbledore. "No I'm not! Draco will be killed by the Dark Lord if he fails to complete his mission!"

"His mission is to kill Hermione!" burst out Harry. "And you're going to let him do it?"

Ginny and Ron were about to stop him, when they caught a glint in Professor Dumbledore's eye that stopped them. Breathing heavily, they took a step back. A few seconds later, Ginny understood why. He wanted Harry to make Pansy think that Draco Malfoy was still carrying out his "mission". And Harry had been smart enough to pretend as if he did not believe in Ginny and Ron's story that Draco Malfoy had been forced into doing what he did.

"You're going to let him kill Hermione?" Harry's voice now faded into a whisper.

Pansy knew better than to say yes. But she knew the outcome. _Yes, maybe they will save Draco from the misery he's suffering…maybe he will be better if he wasn't bearing such a great responsibility. But how long can he hide from the Dark Lord if he escapes? We'll both be dead in no time. The Dark Lord spares no one who fails him…_

"The Dark Lord is accomplished in Occlumency," she whispered. "I can't fail him."

"If I give you my word that both Mr Malfoy and you will be safe?"

"How can you determine our fates!" demanded Pansy. "The Dark Lord…"

"I give you my life as word."

Pansy's eyes grew wide. _Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts, giving his life as word for the protection of our lives? Against the Dark Lord?_

"You don't trust me?"

She hung her head.

---

"About half an hour's time."

His voice had become raw, even though a hint of sneer was in it.

"Do you remember, Draco?"

"Still calling me Draco, Mudblood?"

"Do you remember what we said?"

"Of course I do. All a lie, Granger. All but a lie."

_Of course I do._

_---_

_Oh God, what is WRONG with me. Why am I being such a pathetic person!_

_That's because you have emotions, Draco, you're not a cold-blooded person like Voldemort is. You won't kill an innocent person._

_You think you know me very well, huh. I'm still a Death-Eater no matter what._

_You didn't choose to become one, Draco. Lucius made you, didn't he?_

_Shut up._

_Stop telling me to shut up. I'm telling you the truth._

_Stop acting smart, Granger!_

_Did he tell you anything?_

_Tell? You're such a mild creature, Hermione. He practically engulfed my head with his rage. _

_He said he was not going to tolerate inconsistency._ _He…he said that if I don't kill Ginny by the end of the next week…he would kill me._

_He would kill me._

_He would kill me._

_You know what? _

_I have a plan. _

_Granger, don't be stupid. I can read your mind._

_I'm not being stupid. I know what I'm doing._

_No you're not to –_

_Don't kill Ginny._

_No! I can't let you –_

_Kill me._


	30. The Portrait

**Disclaimer:** However long I have made my readers wait, I don't think I could bear to be like Miss Rowling and make them wait a year, so I do suppose this would be my very own work :)

**A/N:** Sorry for the long disappearance! Updates now will be a little quicker, so don't worry if things still seem vague. M'gosh this story has been going on for ages, I promise that things will come to light soon and more D/H stuff in the upcoming chapters. Meanwhile, I didn't know that there was a possible ruling against thanking my reviewers individually Oo so well, I shall just thank my faithful reviewers Gwinna, pinkicing101, blueeyedchibi, queenofthelameos and the ever-wonderful slytherin-kittycat who obliged me with a barrage of reviews :) and I hope you all enjoy this upcoming chapter! (and yay the horizontal rule is finally working)

* * *

"Ginny, I still can't believe it."

Harry tried to lower his voice into a whisper, so that Pansy Parkinson, who was leading the way, would not be able to hear it.

"What do you not believe, Harry?" sighed Ginny. "Do you still remember the other time I told you about Parkinson trying to kill me? Who stopped her?"

"I thought it was a ruse or something…"

"Harry, don't let your prejudices of Draco Malfoy cloud your senses. I'm sure at that point of time, you also know that Malfoy was very close to Hermione, won't you?"

"That bloody…"

"What?" chipped in Ron, though his voice was rather too loud, and Pansy flinched. Ginny tugged at his robe angrily, and Ron looked abashed.

"When you were knocked unconscious, Malfoy walked past our common room. He grabbed Hermione and he forcefully kissed her in front of me!"

"He WHAT!" Ron had trouble trying to keep calm, his eyes staring at Harry. "Ginny, are you absolutely sure the ferret has changed? He doesn't sound one bit good to me now."

Ginny cringed. "An act, I would suppose."

"Why's he doing all this acting? Why's he risking getting found out by Voldemort and put to death? Why'd he –"

Harry's voice fell silent as they entered the dungeon areas of Hogwarts. He knew only too well the echoes would reach Pansy's ears if he continued to talk about Draco Malfoy. Professor Dumbledore kept his eyes fixed ahead, but Harry knew very well he had heard everything that they had been talking about.

"What are those hissing sounds? This place is absolutely hideous!" muttered Ron.

"They're saying that there are intruders in here," whispered Harry, listening to the hissing voices around him. "They're not happy."

"Who's they?" asked Ginny, remembering that Harry understood Parseltongue.

"The spirits who used to be in Slytherin House when they were alive," cut in Pansy, her eyes flashing. "They guard our common room."

"Blimey, and all we have is Nearly Headless Nick and the Fat Lady?" grumbled Ron.

"I don't suppose you would really want other spirits hanging around with us," reminded Ginny, but Harry put a finger to his lip and looked at Pansy. She gave a rather repressive snarl, before turning to the monstrous-looking creature in the portrait before her, and was about to mutter the password, when Professor Dumbledore simply made a swish of his wand, and the door opened (not without the cursing of the creature in the portrait).

"Thanks," muttered Pansy, as she stepped into the common room.

The Slytherin common room was adorned with green and silver drapes, luxurious furniture (probably sponsored by the Malfoys), numerous unfriendly portraits, and a dark, mysterious air about. Ron shivered a little, as he stared pointedly at the clock on the wall, which seemed to make a rather ominous creak every time the second hand moved.

"I'd really like to come here for a break, it's absolutely fascinating," muttered Ginny, sarcastically. Pansy merely whipped her cloak out of the way as she made her way up the steps to the common-rooms. Professor Dumbledore followed suit without uttering a word, but Harry decided it was time to comment.

"Pansy, maybe you'd like to tell us what you're going to show us."

She continued walking.

"Because we haven't the faintest idea if you're going to turn us in to a whole pack of Death-Eaters," continued Ron, very angrily.

She stopped.

Then she turned back, her green eyes flashing. "Oh you really don't have the faintest idea. At all. And let's keep it that way till you've seen what I'm bringing you to see, Weasley."

With that, she flung back her cloak and continued ascending the stairway.

"If I should get rid of my prejudices towards Malfoy, maybe I can reserve some for Parkinson?"

Ginny sighed. "Let's just follow her."

---

"Granger, it's just about twenty more minutes. Twenty more minutes till your wish is fulfilled."

His voice sounded emotionless, but she knew his heart was not void of emotion.

"Twenty more minutes till fate decides whether we win this battle or not."

"It's not all about winning, Dra – Malfoy. Losing isn't necessarily a bad thing."

"You're so calm about losing your own life."

"Why shouldn't I be? I've lived a good life. Unlike some people."

His eyes flickered. "What makes you think those other people haven't lived a good life?"

"Being under the control of others? Being subjected to others' whims and fancies? I shouldn't think so? I've been free my whole life, and I'm thankful for that."

"You're not free now, Granger," and he spun around, eyes flashing. "And you're never going to be free."

"I'm mentally free!" spat Hermione, glaring at him. "I'm not like you mindless Death …"

"Shut up, Granger!" He hissed.

She fell silent once more, not willing to say anymore. She knew that if she did, she would not be able to sustain her will for long.

"Even before we became Death Eaters…" his voice had lowered to a whisper. "We couldn't live as ourselves. Never."

She sat there, wincing occasionally as the rope bit into her supple wrists, which were beginning to lose its strength with every minute.

"So you say they will come?" He was no longer standing in front of her; he was ready to walk out of the cell, his hand poised on the lock.

She looked at him defiantly. "They will. They definitely will."

---

"I am beginning to lose my patience."

The sinister voice reverberated around the cold walls, and the row of Death Eaters shuddered at the iciness of the atmosphere. It was as if his voice had cracked all the ice on the wall and shot them as icicles into their skin.

One of the Death Eaters was shaking very badly.

"Rebrus. Where is your daughter?"

Rebrus Parkinson nearly collapsed upon hearing the voice address him. "I…I don't know, my Lord, I…"

From within the sleeve, a wretched-looking finger tapped against the wand on the chair, and suddenly, a stream of luminous green shot out from the tip of the wand and hit Rebrus Parkinson squarely in the face, unleashing a horrific cry of pain from the victim and knocking him off his feet. Another two Death Eaters closed in to bring him away.

"Glaston Nell."

The wizard brushed his black tuft back a bit as he stood before the Dark Lord. He seemed unperturbed by what had happened seconds ago. "Yes, my Lord."

"The magic of Hogwarts is a very strange thing. It occurs as and when it pleases. Why is it that I could perform Legilimency on Harry Potter, but yet I cannot get through to Pansy Parkinson? The girl is very late for our ceremony, and yet I cannot find out where she is, which is grating my nerves very much," came the silky voice. "Maybe you would know much better?"

"I would have thought you would summon Severus Snape to answer your question, my Lord, he knows Albus Dumbledore much better than –"

"My dear Glaston Nell, I took you in because you promised you would be able to divulge more than the incompetent fool of a Callidus Auceps. Are you trying to –"

"I wouldn't dare to, my Lord. I will give you my best opinion."

"Out with it."

"I believe that the girl is currently in the company of Albus Dumbledore. As far as I know, this morning, she has been misbehaving in class with a group of Slytherin girls, and have been sent straight to the headmaster's office. It is possible that Albus Dumbledore is covering her with an Occlumens Shield and…"

"Glaston, why are you lying?"

A rather soft, but familiar voice drifted midway through Professor Nell's speech. Professor Nell turned, and a Death Eater lowered his hood to reveal a smirking Severus Snape. "Why are you lying when such a thing never happened?"

"I have no idea what you are talking about, Severus. I am merely reporting the facts."

"Facts? I know you are an accomplished Occlumens, Glaston, you are able to shut your thoughts out from people. But there are others who are unaware that their thoughts are being accessed. For example, Millicent Bulstrode, who would have been one of the girls Pansy Parkinson would have "misbehaved" with. As of now, Miss Bulstrode is comfortably in her dormitory wondering where in the world Miss Parkinson has disappeared to after a most delightful morning of having no lessons because Professor Sprout has had a bout of cold."

"I don't suppose you know that they misbehaved in my class and I was the teacher who sent them to Professor Dumbledore? It will probably not be under my control if Albus Dumbledore decides he should modify their memories in any way."

"And why would he do so?"

"Silence! This is disgraceful. Severus, will you not interrupt the next time!"

"I am sorry, my Lord, but I fail to trust Glaston Nell very much. Not ever since the time that I found my antidote to the Aldor Potion missing from my storeroom."

"Do you think I stole it then?"

"Oh no, how could I ever think that? I am very sure one of those wonderful Golden Trio must have done the deed, possibly either Potter or Granger considering Mr Weasley was well tucked into bed in the Hospital Wing."

"I consider it my duty to also remind you that you were the one who underestimated your protégé's ability to bring Miss Granger here, while I fully believe in his capabilities. After all, I was the one who aided him in getting the Chroker Eye."

"It requires great ability, both mental and physical strength, to be able to surmount all the obstacles that I put in place to guard the Chroker Eye, and your ability to retrieve it, Glaston, is unsurpassed," mused the Dark Lord, drumming his skeletal fingers against the armrests of the chair. "While I commend you for it, I will also remind you that I do not trust people easily, and I do not wish to be able to find out anything unpleasant should you do me wrong."

Glaston Nell bowed, while Severus Snape curled his lip as he stepped back in line, pulling the hood back up to cover his disgusted expression. As Professor Nell retreated to the side, the Dark Lord raised his hooded face to everyone, wherein only the gleaming green eyes within could be seen flashing.

"We will deal with the girl later. I do not tolerate her tardiness."

There was absolute silence.

"Twenty minutes' time…" and his eyes gleamed even more brightly. "…and we shall see who wins this battle."

---

She stood before the painting, touching the frame delicately, as if she was afraid to see a speck of dust on it. She was, but more importantly, she was afraid of the consequences should she continue. Yet, she knew that the only way to save Draco, was to trust those who were around her.

She spun around to face the party who had trooped behind her faithfully, feeling her breath catch in her throat. Then she saw Albus Dumbledore; the faintest smile was hanging at the edge of his lips.

"This is it," she heard herself whisper. "This is it."

"What's this?" asked Ron, disgustedly. "You brought us here to see an empty portrait?"

Ginny stared at it, but Harry knew. He knew the moment he saw the way Pansy touch the frame. "There must be a reason why the portrait is empty, right, Pansy?"

"You are a special wizard, Harry Potter, a very special one. It is no wonder why the whole wizarding world is after your blood," replied Pansy, thinly. Harry did not flinch, but Ginny gave Pansy the most deadly glare she could manage. Pansy turned back to face the portrait. Then she began to utter a series of hissing sounds. However, she did not go beyond a few seconds when Albus Dumbledore suddenly waved his wand, and the dark background of the portrait began to liquefy, and started to drip out from the frame to the floor. Pansy swung back in absolute horror. "What are you doing?"

Professor Dumbledore made no attempt to answer her. Instead, everyone watched as the dark liquid seeped out of the portrait, leaving behind a very small locket. Professor Dumbledore cleared the liquid from the floor, before he stepped forward to levitate the locket with his wand.

"It's not an ordinary portrait, Miss Parkinson," said Professor Dumbledore, gently. "It's not one of those portraits like Phileas Nigellus who can shuttle back and forth from the Black House to my office. It is a Portkey _in_ a portrait, not a Portkey _of_ a portrait."

Pansy was speechless.

"So that's how Voldemort made his way in and out of Hogwarts! But Professor, didn't you say before that Portkeys do not work in the grounds of Hogwarts?" asked Harry.

"It doesn't, it doesn't, but you must realise that the portrait was set in the lairs of one of the Dark Lord's meeting places. And this portrait was not originally in Hogwarts," said Professor Dumbledore, turning to look at Pansy, who was quivering.

"I didn't know…I thought it was alright to put it here…and then…and then I realised one night he was there…he was there telling me what to do and – and I was so afraid, I didn't know anything at all…but he came through the portrait the other night...he really did; I saw him in it..."

Then she took a deep breath. "This, is how he could come into Hogwarts and torture Draco."

"Torture?" gasped Ginny, in horror.

"You are such a simpleton, Ginny Weasley, you don't know what the Dark Lord can really do when you get him into a situation," snarled Pansy. "And this is why you don't know that the Dark Lord could kill Draco with a finger with what you all have just done!"

"You realise that Draco Malfoy asked me to play a part in his plans," retorted Ginny. "And this means that he knew fully well what he was getting himself into!"

"What? Getting himself into trouble just because of that Mudblood?"

"You jolly well know he –"

"We must act now," said Harry, urgently cutting Ginny off, for he knew what she was about to say regarding Draco and Hermione, and now was not the time to push Pansy to the brink of rage. "This means that the Dark Lord can come into Hogwarts any time and sabotage anything that goes on here. We must stop him! And we must save Hermione as well!"

"What about Draco!" Pansy's eyes flashed in anger.

"Yes, and him too," muttered Harry. "Now can we go?"

Ron eyed the locket. "You know…I don't have a really good feeling about what is going to happen next…"

Professor Dumbledore looked at them. "On the count of three."

"One…"

"Two…"

And there was a flash of blinding light.


	31. In The Dark Lord's Lair

**Disclaimer:** All characters, except for that snivelling Rebrus Parkinson, in this fic belong to J.K.Rowling, except her Draco isn't so sentimental, so haha anything OOC belongs to me :)

**A/N:** I am extremely sorry for the looooong delay, but here you go, I promised I would give you excitement for whatever time delay I caused, so this IS the chapter you all have been waiting for, the **COMPLETE ACTION in ONE ENTIRE SCENE**! I hope you will enjoy it thoroughly, and if you are still unsure of things, the next chapter will clarify all your doubts. But at the moment, do enjoy! I had a nice time writing this chapter :)

Many thanks to queenofthelameos, Gwinna and pinkicing101 for your reviews! It's great having people review your story, especially people who stick by it even though it's been ages since I updated. This goes out to all of you!

**Warning: The Killing Curse isn't one to be trifled with. **

* * *

The dim lights flickered for a moment, and then they intensified.

A lone figure was walking through the cold grey corridors, carefully hooded, but each step taken was a tentative one. The figure trudged along, as if afraid that every step taken would lead closer to doom, which wasn't too far off a thought, actually. Then, the figure knelt down, touching the hood to the icy cold ground.

"Greetings, My Lord," said the figure, emotionlessly.

From the side, a rather battered Rebrus Parkinson heaved a sigh of relief.

The Dark Lord's fingers glowed sinisterly, as he raised them. "You may rise, Pansy Parkinson. Now what took you so long? We are about to begin, and you know that I do not tolerate tardiness."

"I was summoned by Professor Albus Dumbledore," replied Pansy, her keen eyes focused on the ground, as she slid back her hood. "He was questioning me for misbehaviour."

"You – " began Snape, but the Dark Lord waved his hand, and Snape retreated, scowling. "I don't intend to look into acts of misbehaviour, because it only shows how childish some people can be." Pansy lowered her head. "I despise such behaviour, Parkinson, as you must know. But your punishment will come later, for the hour for the ceremony is ready. I believe I have a capable recruit waiting in the wings, bring her forth!"

Pansy hurriedly retreated into the group of Junior Death-Eaters, slipping her hood back over her head. In the wings, emerging from the shadows, was Draco dragging along a bruised and wounded Hermione, who was turning blue from the ropes that were tightly binding her wrists. He marched up to Lord Voldemort solemnly, and dragged Hermione in front of him. Then he knelt down before Voldemort.

"My Lord, you may begin."

"Well, well, who do we have here. Miss Hermione Granger. What a pleasure to see you in my lair, Miss Granger," said the Dark Lord, in a silky voice. "It is also a great honour to have Hogwarts' most intelligent student ready to join my ranks."

"I am not going to join your despicable ranks!" spat Hermione, barely able to choke each word out with the slowing down of blood circulation in her body.

"Draco."

Draco Malfoy raised his wand, pointing it straight at Hermione. She closed her eyes.

"Wait."

Draco looked questioningly at Voldemort, who had gotten off his seat, his robe sleeves hiding the glowing skeletal fingers. He walked towards Hermione, then looked at the other Death Eaters around.

"Today is an extremely important day. I will have a few things to announce before I begin the induction. As Draco Malfoy has committed his loyalty to the Dark Side by successfully capturing Hermione Granger, I will permit him to join the ranks of the Senior Death-Eaters."

There was a collective gasp of amazement from the Junior Death-Eaters and the Senior ones bowed in recognition of the Dark Lord's decision. Draco bowed likewise, and his eyes glinted a little.

"I will also promote Glaston Nell to Advisor, for having bravely retrieved the Chroker Eye from where I hid it. The Chroker Eye is a symbol of my power, and anyone who is able to retrieve it proves worthy of my trust, and I will reward him with special powers." And he waved his wand. Glaston Nell closed his eyes as Lord Voldemort did so, and strangely enough, Draco Malfoy felt a strange urge to close his eyes as well. "Also, I will put you in charge of brewing the Aldor Poison for future purposes."

"This is not right!" Severus Snape suddenly burst out, in rage and horror. "You are saying that he _has_ the Chroker Eye?"

Glaston Nell produced the Eye from his pocket, with a look of triumph.

"Then what was in Ginny Weasley's drink – _it was not the Aldor Poison that was in it!_"

"Severus, what are you trying to say?" said Voldemort, darkly.

Glaston Nell immediately cut in. "He doesn't need to say anything. I have proved that he is a traitor, My Lord."

"You!" Snape barked, in complete amazement and rage.

"He wanted to steal the Chroker Eye, but I, having attained it first and also being aware of his plans, put a Peastwigger Eye there in place. Being in a hurry, Severus was unable to ascertain the difference between both Eyes, and thus fell for it. He then tried to poison Ginny Weasley's drink in order to frame Hermione Granger as she had a certain quantity of it from his Potions lesson, but he did not expect her to admit to taking all of the antidote, which Professor Dumbledore accepted graciously. Therefore, Ginny Weasley is only experiencing temporary effects of a different poison, one which is much less destructive as the Aldor Poison."

"You scheming – "

"What have you got to say to this, Severus!" the Dark Lord's eyes flashed from under his hood. "You dared to betray me!"

"I was trying to frame them; it's not betrayal! You're a fool to believe Glaston Nell when he's the real traitor! He allianced with Albus Dumbledore to plan this strategy so that you can believe him!" cried Snape, wildly.

"Silence!"

"I was the one who got past all the barriers you put in place for the Chroker Eye, I was the one who helped you all this while, I WAS THE ONE WHO – "

"Avada Kedavra."

In a flash of green light, Severus Snape dropped down to the floor, unmoving.

Hermione uttered a gasp of horror, while Draco merely concentrated on the Dark Lord. Glaston Nell nodded in approval, while the other Death-Eaters helped to carry him away.

"And now we shall begin."

"I am NOT becoming a Death-Eater!" cried Hermione, struggling with all the might she was left with. "I will not becoming a filthy murderer like all of you, I will not do anything against my conscience, and I will not become living ghosts like YOU!"

"My dear child, do you have any other choice?" asked Lord Voldemort, his eyes glowering over her.

"Kill me," she whispered. "Kill me NOW. I'd rather die than become a Death-Eater."

"What an utter waste of talent, absolutely. Are you sure you'd rather you come to such an end, Miss Granger?"

"Kill me!" Hermione turned to Draco Malfoy, her eyes pleading. "Just do it!"

Draco smirked. "Why, too much of a pity, Granger. Wouldn't I have wasted my time with you just now if you ask me to kill you now?"

"Cut the crap, Malfoy. You've always wanted me out of the way so you could be top student. You're getting credit from this, so stop acting a martyr!" cried Hermione, angrily.

"Well…if you say so."

He raised his wand to his waist level, pointing it right at Hermione's temple. "Avada –"

"Don't you dare hurt Hermione!!" cried Harry, as he and Ron charged out from the shadows before Professor Dumbledore could stop them.

"No, Harry, no!" gasped Hermione, as she saw them right in front of the Dark Lord.

"So! Mr Potter and Mr Weasley are here as well," smirked Glaston Nell. "Welcome."

"Shut up, you traitor," muttered Harry, seething with anger as he looked at Draco Malfoy. "You lied to Hermione and hurt her, and now you're going to kill her!"

"That's right. I am," said Draco, coolly, as he pressed the wand harder against Hermione's temple.

"I have company. How wonderful! It is perfect to witness your friend's death, so I can revel in the pleasure of seeing your pain, Potter," laughed Lord Voldemort, sinisterly, and he nodded towards Draco, whose expression was stony as he cried,

"Avada Kedavra!"

"NO!!! EXPELLIARMUS! EXPELLIARMUS!" gasped Harry and Ron, as they dove towards Hermione, arms outstretched. But they fell headfirst against the cold floor, without a wand in their hands, for Professor Nell had performed the Expelling Charm before they could even cast it. He grabbed their wands as they sailed through the air, and smirked as they fell.

Hermione fell against the floor, her skull connecting hard with the tiles.

"NOOO!!!" cried Harry, as he scrambled towards her. Ron did likewise, and somehow reached Hermione before Harry could, and started shaking her. "Hermione, wake up! Hermione!"

"I just performed the Killing Curse," said Draco, emotionlessly. "Would she?"

"You scum!" cried Ron, and before Harry could stop him, he dropped Hermione from his arms and dove towards Draco, but was hit by a Shield Charm cast by the blonde boy, and fell backwards, blood dripping from the sides of his mouth.

"I am here to perform an induction, but I see another kind of performance here," smirked Voldemort. "Well done, Draco. You have done me another service. Anyway, since the mudblood refused to become one of us, I have no choice but to grant her her wish. Now that you are in my lair, you can choose as well. I will just love to exact the punishment some people deserve but have escaped from my grasp time and again."

"Bloody bastard…" Ron tried to get up, but Draco pinned him down with his foot, eyeing him mockingly. "Oh the little weasel, trying to be brave? I would be a bit more obedient if I were you, running around trying to act the hero!"

"You bloody ferret…"

"You need some washing of that mouth of yours, Weasel, Scourgify!" and Ron's mouth was covered in bubbles, and he choked and coughed until he turned blue.

"You beast, if you want to kill me, kill me alone! Why did you have to kill Hermione!" cried Harry, in rage, looking at Hermione's lifeless body, before staring at Ron's bubbling mouth in despair. "You can kill me right now – isn't that what you always wanted?!"

"Very well. As you wish, my boy," smirked Voldemort, raising his wand.

"No!!! Don't kill him!" cried a female voice, and like lightning, Ginny Weasley sped across the hall and flung herself in front of Harry. "Don't you dare kill him!"

"Ginny! Don't!" gasped Harry, but Voldemort merely chuckled. "So, I see you have a girlfriend trying to interfere with your life and death matters, Potter. But since all three of you look so determined to pay with your lives, I shall grant you your wish! AVADA –"

"Tom!" came a grave voice from the side.

"Albus Dumbledore, you meddling…" Lord Voldemort spun around in anger, but before he could even turn his wand to face Dumbledore, he suddenly met with a burst of exploding green and white light that sent him flying to the other end of the room. The other Death-Eaters immediately converged towards the centre, where the light source came from, but another burst of light exploded, and sent all flying in different directions of the room. The cries of terror filled the air, a cacophony that would have sent shudders down the spine of any living soul.

With each light burst, there was a cloud of mist, and for a moment, there was complete confusion, except for a loud shout of "Demist!" and the mist cleared in an instant.

By the sides of the hall, the unmoving bodies of the Death-Eaters lay all over, while at the centre of the hallway, a black figure struggled to get up.

Slowly picking himself up with his hood all covered with silver liquid, presumably his blood, Lord Voldemort stared incredulously at the sight before him.

On the left side, there was Albus Dumbledore, sheperding the group of children – Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Ginny Weasley, and a shaking Pansy Parkinson. On the other side, was a smirking Glaston Nell with a determined Draco Malfoy, whose arm was outstretched with a wand, glowing green and white at the tip, aiming at Voldemort.

"Draco, what are you doing!" snarled Lord Voldemort.

"Doing what I have to," said Draco, stonily. "You made my life so miserable as your minion, you made me torture Hermione, and you are made up of nothing but hate and resentment. There is no place for such a creature in this world. Not at all."

"But how could you…" Voldemort stared at him, in amazement, before his gaze transferred to Glaston Nell, his eyes hardening as he stared at the smirking wizard. "You…"

"I wasn't the capable one, it was Draco," smiled Glaston Nell. "He got the Chroker's Eye by himself, and so you bestowed him with the special powers, not me."

"You traitors…Severus was right, to think I trusted you!"

"I work for Albus Dumbledore, not a ruthless beast like you!" snarled Professor Nell.

Draco looked at Harry sideways. "I think you want to kill him as much as I do. I'll share with you the honour."

"You killed Hermione…" muttered Harry, angrily, but he stretched out his arm to Professor Nell, who handed him his wand. Then he pointed it at Lord Voldemort, who gasped weakly as he saw both of them aiming their wands at him. "No, no, no…"

"AVADA KEDAVRA!" cried both Harry and Draco, in unison.

"NOOOOOO!!!!!!"

In a burst of luminous green light, there was only a pile of robes where Lord Voldemort stood only seconds before.

Harry lowered his wand, his hand shaking, but before he could recover, a blur sped past him towards the lifeless body of Hermione, holding it and shaking it hard. "Hermione, wake up, wake up!"

Harry and Ron turned around, staring in amazement as they saw their nemesis, Draco Malfoy, cradling Hermione in his arms, with tears, _yes_, tears dripping down his cheeks and falling into her brown tresses. Pansy looked down at the floor, while Ginny sniffed a little as she watched, while Professor Dumbledore patted her shoulder.

"Oh Hermione, please wake up…"


	32. The Confession

**Disclaimer:** As much as I kept my characters close in character with J.K.Rowling's awesome trademark characters, I have the sole claim on Draco and Hermione's relationship, so there, that's where things are different :)

**A/N:** Oh this is wonderful - 7 reviews in the last chapter! With much love to pinkicing101, Silidons, queenofthelameos, blueeyedchibi, Ravenclawxoxprincess, jam and Gwinna:) 7 sounds little, but for me, it's alot, really, so thank you - especially to those who have kept faithful to this fic. I am now rewarding you with the longest chapter I've ever written, a jam-packed information chapter to enlighten you on what has happened! I only hope I did not contradict myself anywhere, and if I did, please tell me! I am not very good at remembering what I've written before so some parts may clash (I hope not!). There's still more information coming up at the end, but this fic's coming closer to the end already, so stay tuned!

To all those who have been reading my fic, and haven't reviewed, if you can, please do leave a note of how you think things have been going so far :) I'm honoured to have you as my audience! Please enjoy!

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There was a gloomy atmosphere when all returned from the Dark Lord's lair to the Slytherin common-room with the locket Portkey once more. Immediately, Draco Malfoy, carrying Hermione in his arms, sped off to the Hospital Wing, in hope that something could be done to save Hermione.

Professor Dumbledore calmly led the way out of the Slytherin common-room, and back to his own office. As he sank into his big armchair, he noted the weary looks on all the faces of the children, and even Professor Glaston Nell himself.

"Hermione mustn't die, she mustn't…" muttered Harry, and Ginny laid her browned hand on his arm in comfort. Harry smiled weakly at her, while Ron sighed loudly. Pansy continued to stare at her feet, while Professor Nell shifted uneasily. Professor Dumbledore merely leant back further, eyeing the door of the office with a tentative look.

It was then when Harry realised somebody was missing. "Sir, wasn't Neville with us at the office? I…" He turned to Ginny, whose eyes widened in realisation. "I don't seem to even remembering him enter the Slytherin common-room with us."

"Damn, we were too caught up finding Hermione!" Ron gasped.

"He's fine, he's fine. I told him to stay behind, actually," replied Professor Dumbledore, calmly. "He will be of great use later, please do not worry. And if you weren't caught up with finding her, she would have been in a more dangerous state, I would imagine."

Pansy snorted a little, but tried to turn it into a sniff as the rest looked bewilderedly at a serene-looking Professor Dumbledore. Glaston Nell tried to open his mouth, but Dumbledore raised his hand. "Let us wait for our protagonist, shall we? The story cannot begin without him."

"What story?" began Ginny, but at this very moment, the doors of the office swung open, and a pale-looking Draco strode right up to the crowd of people watching him warily.

"You have left Miss Granger with Poppy, I presume?" asked Professor Dumbledore.

Draco nodded, in a miserable gesture that made Pansy want to step forward and comfort him, but she dared not, given his daring outburst against the Dark Lord earlier on.

"When you have calmed down, Mr Malfoy, I would like you to tell the others about what really happened between you and Miss Granger, and how you ended up turning against the Dark Lord."

"I told you he wasn't that bad after all," said Ginny, in a muffled voice.

Draco didn't move an inch.

His eyes began to glaze over, however,…

_I have a plan. _

_Granger, don't be stupid. I can read your mind._

_I'm not being stupid. I know what I'm doing._

_No you're not to –_

_Don't kill Ginny._

_No! I can't let you –_

_Kill me._

_Granger, what the bloody hell are you thinking? I'm not going to kill you._

_Yes you are, that's the only way you can prove your allegiance to him. I will never ever succumb to be a Death-Eater, so that's the only way you can show that you are loyal and will do his bidding. He wants Harry dead, but now that Ron is Stunned, the only other person whom you can get rid of to weaken Harry, is me. _

_There's Ginny Weasley. That's the next step._

_You're not to kill her. _

_I'm not going to kill you!_

_Draco!_

_I said I'm not going to kill you!_

…_Argh, you stubborn thing. Too full of pride! Fine. If you want to get rid of her, get the Chroker Eye. _

…_what? Are you insane, Granger? Do you know what the Chroker Eye is?_

_Yes, you git, if not I wouldn't be asking you to get it. _

_That's as good as killing her, Granger, if you're thinking of the Aldor Poison. _

_I'm not going to get Ginny killed. Before you get the Chroker's Eye, I want you to go down to Hagrid's. Do you remember our Care of Magical Creatures lesson? _

…_you want me to swap the Chroker's Eye for a Peastwigger's Eye? Wait, how the hell am I supposed to get through all the barriers the Dark Lord has set to guard the Chroker Eye in the first place?_

_That, is why I'm going along with you._

_No, Granger, no, you're not._

_Draco, listen to me, you are Voldemort's most important minion in Hogwarts, the most important one who can get close to Harry Potter. You are not going to give up the chance to save yourself, and many others under Voldemort's influence, just because of me. _

_Look…Hermione…I can. I'd rather you live than you give up yourself just because the Dark Lord is punishing me for failing him._

_You're not failing him, you're failing yourself if you continue to work for him. Destroy him, once and for all. And…you know maybe, maybe I won't really die after all. _

_What are you trying to say?_

_Miracles can happen._

_I don't trust bloody miracles! Hermione Granger, this is an insane idea._

_And I want you to put it into action. I'd rather die knowing that Voldemort will be dead and that you are the one who killed me, then die because he killed me. _

_It's not worth it…Hermione, it's really not worth it. Get that idea out of your head._

_It's sticking, and I'm doing this for Harry – and for you._

"That was what I wanted to ask, how come you and Hermione could communicate via thoughts? I thought she was only experiencing your thoughts and vice versa, not _communicate_!" Harry stared in bewilderment.

Draco shrugged. "Beats me. But the thing was that because she could also feel what I went through, she knew the pain that I felt when the Dark Lord punished me. That was … that was why she chose to sacrifice herself in order to alleviate me of the pain, and to alleviate all other Death-Eaters of this punishment."

"Hermione was always thinking of others, but never herself!" Ron scowled. "Only when it came to books, that is."

Draco said nothing, but his fists clenched a little.

"So Hermione guided you through the barriers set in place for the Chroker's Eye? Then what is this about Voldemort recognising Professor Nell as the one who eventually retrieved the Chroker's Eye?" asked Harry, noticing Draco's tensed fists.

"Because I wasn't a full-fledged Death-Eater, or at least Junior ones are not considered full-fledged. The real full-fledged Death-Eater who passes through the barriers will be considered as the one who obtains the Chroker Eye," said Draco, stonily. "Professor Nell entered shortly after I did, and just as I was about to make my exit, he tried to make me give up the Eye to him."

"He was ruining my plan. I knew Snape was eyeing the Chroker's Eye to poison Ginny Weasley, because he felt that Draco Malfoy was not doing his job, and he was afraid that his protégé would be heavily punished for failing once more. So I wanted to swap the Chroker's Eye for a Peastwigger's Eye as well," added Professor Nell. "However, I had not wanted to do it on that day, but it was just because I saw Mr Malfoy and Miss Granger enter the cave where the Dark Lord keeps the Eye, that I decided to follow after them. I am impressed," he looked at Draco. "That Miss Granger managed to prove a great help in solving the various puzzles, and that the various spells and charms both of you cast were equivalent to the skills of many expert witches and wizards."

"How did Hermione even get to the Lair, if Pansy did not even know that the locket within the portrait was a Portkey?" asked Ginny.

"The locket was given to me by my father," replied Draco. "That way, I could enter the Lair even though the Dark Lord had not summoned me. I was the leader of the junior Death-Eaters, that was why I was granted that privilege. Pansy was not to be in the know of this," and Pansy looked away, biting her lip. "And so I could use it as a Portkey to bring Hermione and I into the Lair. Then we would repair the portrait each time we came back. My father managed to give the portrait to Rebrus Parkinson in order for his daughter to place it in the Slytherin common-room, thinking that it was a mere communication tool and nothing else."

"How could you go as and when you pleased?" demanded Ron. "Surely He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named could tell when somebody entered his lair."

"Not when he is out plotting something dastardly," replied Draco, coolly. "He left several Death-Eaters in charge of that place. Hermione borrowed Potter's Invisible Cloak actually, so that we wouldn't be seen outside of the cave."

"And I never knew!" groaned Harry.

"It takes true evil to get past the barriers guarding the Chroker's Eye as well, and it was the Dark Mark and the Slytherin heritage that led Mr Malfoy through, even though his heart was void of true evil, am I right?" asked Professor Dumbledore.

Draco nodded, emotionlessly. "And it takes true courage, which was perfect that Hermione was a Gryffindor."

Professor Nell saw that he wasn't ready to continue, and decided to add on. "Well, since I didn't have the Peastwigger's Eye with me, I tried to convince them to leave the Chroker's Eye behind. But then I noticed that they had brought the Peastwigger's Eye with them, and Draco was threatening to kill me, so I let them go."

"It was after that that Hermione began to suspect Professor Nell wasn't exactly really working for the Dark Lord," said Draco.

_"Draco?"_

_Draco stopped walking. "What?"_

_Hermione placed a hand on his arm, sending a strange sensation up his arm, as he turned to face her brown eyes. _

_"I…I have this strange feeling that Professor Nell isn't as evil as we are making him out to be."_

_"Don't be soft, Hermione," laughed Draco, nastily. "Just because he let us go doesn't make him a good guy. Remember he was planted here to be a professor. He's well aware of teenage instincts. He will do anything to gain the trusts of gullible little things like you."_

_Hermione flushed. "I know that. But maybe you could trust a girl's instinct?"_

_"How often are they right?"_

_"Well, at least I was right about you."_

_Now it was Draco's turn to flush bright red. Hermione tried to hide her grin as she saw the red flush spread up his neck. "You trying to be funny with me?"_

_"I wouldn't dare," teased Hermione, but then she turned serious again. "I'm serious, I do think he's actually helping Professor Dumbledore, not Lord Voldemort."_

_"Now's not the time to think about this, we've only got so much time to run down to the Hospital Wing to give Ginny Weasley the antidote, and then get back to the dungeons to go to the Dark Lord's Lair!" Draco urged._

_"Yeah there isn't much time…they'd find we're missing in no time," muttered Hermione, biting her lip. "This sucks. I didn't even get to say goodbye to Harry and he's going to find out I've just given him a million lies."_

_"Look," said Draco, as they emerged from the dungeons, after checking that the corridors were clear. However, from a clear distance, they could see a lone figure walking up and down by the pond restlessly, away from the flooding moonlight. He was in the darkest area though, and could not be seen clearly from the angle of the staff room, nor the Headmaster's office, nor most of the classrooms. It was only by the corner where the students turned past to walk down the corridor where the Slytherin dungeons were, at a corner where students would most likely look sideways to prevent themselves from knocking against the corner wall or slow down to watch out for oncoming ghosts, that the area where Professor Nell was at, could be seen. _

_"Who's that?" asked Hermione, as they crouched below the windows, eyeing the strange figure pacing up and down._

_"Speak of the devil. It's Professor Nell. Nobody wears that suit like he does, tucked in one side and tucked out the other," remarked Draco, slyly. But then he, too, turned very serious. "What the hell is he doing out now?"_

_Both of them continued staring at the restless figure, who had his fists clenched and was trying very hard to control them, as if once he lost control, they would be flying aimlessly in the air. _

_"Shh…he's saying something…" whispered Hermione._

_"…impossible…how can he have done it? Doesn't he know that he's spoiling the entire thing?…Bollocks, how are we ever going to settle the whole thing if we have Slytherins messing around…but that's not right, he was with Hermione Granger? Why would a Malfoy be doing with someone whose blood he abhors? This is not right…not right at all…tomorrow Voldemort will find out that the Eye has been stolen…he won't realise the Peastwigger Eye is the fake one because he will not trust himself to get past the barriers himself…"_

_"He called the Dark Lord by his name," whispered Draco, in a strange voice. "That's not right."_

_"What's not right?" asked Hermione, worriedly._

_"No Death-Eater can truly call the Dark Lord anything else but as the Dark Lord. Or else he would be seen as a traitor."_

_"Are you trying to say…"_

_"Shh…listen…"_

_"…Albus was so calm about it, the rattling old man. I can't believe he can keep so calm at a time like this. I can't believe he could be so calm about letting the children know about this… Oh shut up Glaston, you must be heading back. It isn't safe, it isn't safe…"_

_"He's coming," gasped Hermione, and Draco pulled her to the side, as Professor Nell stepped into the corridors, and walked in the opposite direction. Just as Draco and Hermione found it safe to move off, there was a sudden low voice behind them. _

_"Stop there."_

_Oh bloody hell, thought Draco, and Hermione gripped Draco's hand tightly. She hadn't even noticed his fingers wrapped around her hand. _

_"What are the two of you doing out late at night?"_

_Hermione gathered up her courage and turned around to face Professor Nell, dragging Draco along to face him as well. "We heard you, Professor."_

_Professor Nell did not flinch. "Heard what?"_

_"We heard you by the pond."_

_Professor Nell laughed harshly. "There was nothing to hear about. On the other hand, I'd like to hear about what you have to say barging into the Dark Lord's lair together with a Death-Eater, Miss Granger."_

_Hermione froze, but Draco sneered. "Don't act saintly, Glaston Nell. You were there to grab the Eye too, dare you deny it!"_

_To his surprise, Professor Nell laughed. "Of course I went to get it. Doesn't every Death-Eater want to obtain it to gain credit and recognition?"_

_Hermione suddenly cocked her head a little. "You're working for Professor Dumbledore, aren't you?"_

_Now it was Professor Nell's turn to freeze a little. "What did you just say?"_

_"You're the only one aside from Professor Sprout who would be working on the Mandrake Potion. You deliberately added extra ingredients to it so that it wouldn't work. That's why Ron is still Stunned, isn't he?"_

_"I don't know what you are talking about, Miss Granger, please mind your words!"_

_"I'm minding them well because I know what I'm talking about," said Hermione, her eyes flashing. Draco was a bit taken aback by her confidence, her determination, her eyes, those sparklingly beautiful, yet dangerous eyes…_

"Hermione's amazing. I can't believe she just guessed it right away," said Ron, his eyes shining.

"It took sometime. She told me that she was first suspicious when she wanted to find me about Defence Against the Dark Arts material, I was hardly around. And Professor Sprout would always direct her to the Herbology lab," said Professor Nell, with a rather thin smile. "And I guess," he cocked an eyebrow at Draco. "A lady's instinct is really hard to doubt when she feels something is not right."

Draco said nothing for a while, but his fingers were twitching.

Professor Dumbledore smiled. "So Glaston, it was you who removed the hex on Ron Weasley in the end, not Mr Malfoy."

"For once, Albus, you do get things wrong," chuckled Professor Nell. "Although I must commend Miss Parkinson for her hexing abilities," which prompted Pansy to go crimson. "It took me a while to settle it apart from offering him the right Mandrake Potion."

Draco tried to swallow the bitterness that was rising in his throat from the smiles and laughter that was exchanged between the adults, as he continued. "When we realised that was happened to Ron Weasley, Hermione was really relieved. As for Ginny Weasley, Hermione knew that she would cooperate with us…and we knew it would work because…" Draco looked at Harry. "because of you."

Ginny turned a little red, while Harry mused a little at that. "Go on."

"Hermione said you would know the traces of the Aldor Poison," Draco went on, looking at Harry for a moment before he turned his stony gaze towards Professor Dumbledore. "So we purposely added black traces into Ginny's cup."

"After Hermione took drops of antidote used for the Shultzen's Potion, she put it back. To fool Pansy that I had the antidote and put the blame on Hermione, I stole a vial together with her and headed back to the common-room."

"However that was before I went to the Potions classroom and noted that the antidote was still there. I was quite sure Severus was in the room before me, and he did not enter the room before coming to this office for the staff meeting," interjected Professor Nell. "So I realised Severus was trying to put the blame on Miss Granger."

"If Pansy was attentive enough, she would have noticed the shade of green in the vial I stole was similar, but not the same as the antidote," said Draco. Pansy looked on the verge of tears as her lip trembled, but she kept her mouth in a thin line, refusing to look at Draco. "Hermione guessed correctly that Snape would implicate her, so she admitted to breaking the entire vial."

"But the truth was that we did give Ginny part of the Aldor Poison, just in very small quantities. She accepted it because Hermione still had the drops of the antidote that was sufficient enough to cure her. We had to make it look real when Madam Pomfrey examined her. Since Madam Pomfrey was not skilled in handling this particular poison, she would have known that small quantities would cause the skin to become blacker faster than usual poisons."

Harry stared in disbelief at Ginny, who was mumbling something and looking at the ground. "Ginny, why'd you do this to yourself?"

"I was doing it for Hermione," muttered Ginny. "…because I knew she loved Draco a lot and wouldn't let him die."

"Loved?" echoed Ron. "Loved?"

Draco coloured a little at that word, but Ginny continued in a small voice. "…and I knew I would have done the same even for you."

It was Harry's turn to colour up.

"When they told me about it, I realised I was the only one capable of waking Ginny up with the drops of antidote Miss Granger had whilst they entered Voldemort's Lair," said Professor Nell. "That was because by the time they had finished, it was near dawn, and people would be panicking over their disappearance rather than notice me enter the Hospital Wing to visit Miss Weasley."

"Professor Nell advised us to leave a note for Professor Dumbledore, because he would not be able to warn the right people in time if he was to save Ginny and act nonchalant at the same time," said Draco.

"You left the right words," sighed Harry. "Saying that I had to watch Hermione die was the only thing that could have struck a chord with me. You knew I would immediately put two and two together and think that you had abducted her to meet the Dark Lord and that she would be forced to become a Death-Eater in no time to spill out her secrets – and to get to know me better so Voldemort could kill me, or the alternative would be her death." At this point, Harry's voice choked a little.

"Thank Hermione for convincing me you weren't such a dud, Potter," sneered Draco, for the first time showing off the Malfoy side of him clearly since they had left the Lair. Yet he could feel his voice choking as well, when he had heard the word "death". _Hermione, why did you make me do it? What made you so confident about everything around you? Why are you never doubtful of anything? Why did you trust me so much?_

Suddenly there was a loud CRACK! and there beside Harry, stood a wide-eyed panting house-elf, whose entire body was shaking from the impact of Apparating.

"Dobby!" gasped Harry.

"Harry Potter! Headmaster!" and then Dobby glanced a frightened look at Draco, who was looking at him in a very strange way. "Draco Malfoy! News from the Hospital Wing!"

"What is it?!" demanded Draco, grabbing the shocked and frightened Dobby by his bony shoulders. "What is it, you bloody elf?!"

"Draco…" began Professor Dumbledore, but Dobby gasped a little for air. "He – no, she, she's – " and the house-elf launched into a series of hacks and severe coughs, pulling Draco into despair. "What the bloody hell is it, you wretched elf!"

"Hurry, Dobby!" cried Harry, urgently.

Dobby recovered sufficiently enough to cough out, "She..she's wake up, awake! She's wake up well!"

Without even looking around, Draco Malfoy dropped the house elf into a tumble on the ground and sped out of the Headmaster's office with a speed that any Seeker would have been proud of even in the air, and headed straight for the Hospital Wing.


	33. Awakening

**Disclaimer: **I don't like the way Ron and Lavender snogged senselessly in Book 6, so rest assured that unlike Ms Rowling, I will make any lemony stuff seem a bit more tasteful. Hopefully. That is not to criticise the author's writing style though, for that was required to weave the magical world of Harry Potter which I cannot dream of emulating, rather unfortunately.

**A/N:** I had TEN reviews for my previous post! Oh my, that was such a beautiful reward for my writing; thanks so much Ravenclawxoxprincess, pinkicing101, Silidons, luckei1, queenofthelameos, Gwinna, jam, Steelo, slytherin-kittycat and blueeyedchibi:) I'm so glad to see new reviewers too! Well here's a rather nice chapter, in my opinion, because it has a lot of D/H flavour to make up for all the unhappiness that has happened...sorry this chapter took so long - I just began the new school year and it's been kinda hectic. I hope you people enjoy this, and REVIEW! With much appreciation, because an author needs all the constructive feedback he or she can get in order to write well :)

Let's get started then! This SHOULD be the second last chapter...so look out for the concluding one! Which might take a while, but I promise it will not ruin the story so far.

* * *

At first, there was darkness. Just plain darkness. 

_My head hurts._

There was some buzzing in the ears, but nothing more.

A while later, the ache subsided a little.

All of a sudden, there was a burst of light!

_Wh-aatt?_

Hermione blinked softly, then she summoned all her strength to give a series of quick-flutter blinks as the light became clearer, and the fuzzy images came into focus.

The first words on her cracked lip were,

"Where's Draco?"

Draco Malfoy, who had been sitting beside her, immediately grabbed her cold hand within his warm one, and brought it to his cheek. "Here, here, I'm here!" He whispered rawly.

Hermione blinked again, then her eyes relaxed. Her face was so pale, and her fingers were limp against his strong ones.

She turned her gaze towards the rest around her bed. So many of them. She picked out the relieved green ones of Harry, which were actually flooded with tears, but he brushed them away absent-mindedly. Beside him was a wide-eyed Dobby, who was bouncing up and down with a shining elvish grin plastered on his face. She saw the sparkling blue ones of Ginny, which were equally flooded, and the satisfied ones of Ron. She saw the thin smile on Pansy Parkinson's face, the beam on Professor Dumbledore's wide countenance, and the grin tugging at the end of Professor Nell's lips. On the right she saw Madam Pomfrey nod briskly and arranged the bottles of medicine on her tray, while Neville gave her a rather weary smile.

She then turned it back to the figure beside her, an exhausted, tousled-haired, blonde boy, whose grey eyes, for the first time when she looked into them, were blurry and faded.

_Draco, you're crying._

_And why shouldn't I? I thought you were dead!_

_No, no, you didn't. Remember what I told you? I told you I wouldn't die. Miracles do happen, Draco, they really do._

"Madam Pomfrey, how – how was this possible?" asked Harry, staring at Hermione.

Madam Pomfrey looked a bit flustered, but then Neville shakily pointed to a bottle with some lilac-coloured liquid swirling within. Harry narrowed his eyes at the bottle. "That looks really familiar."

"I'm – I'm so glad…" whispered Hermione, as Draco gripped her hand tighter. "I'm so glad Professor Dumbledore knew…"

"Well my dear girl," said Professor Dumbledore, chuckling lightly. "You leave me a suicide note and expect me to watch you die?"

"What's going on?" Ron asked, for the umpteenth time, turning as red as the roots of his hair at his own ignorance. "I am utterly out of place."

"No, you're not, Ron," sighed Hermione, wistfully, her voice so soft that all of them were leaning over the bed to hear her. "Not at all…"

"Part of your plan eh?" Ron asked, cocking his eyebrow as he stood up straight. He wore an amused look on his face, yet it was equally etched with exasperation. "Blimey Hermione, next time will you be a bit more obvious if you were tired of Mickey climbing all over Crookshanks, like yell or something?"

Pansy lowered her head.

Harry continued to stare at the lilac-coloured liquid. Then he lifted his gaze to Neville, who was perspiring profusely and shaking a little.

"Neville?"

Neville did not seem to respond, as he stared at Hermione.

"Mr Longbottom," and Neville jumped a little. "I think you owe the rest of them some explanation," chuckled Professor Dumbledore.

Neville blinked. "Erm, well…"

"I'll say it for you, bumbling block," said Draco, scowling as he fought back the tears in his eyes. "Longbottom made the Shultzen Potion for Hermione, because the effects of the Shultzen Potion is that it can make the effect of a hex or curse lighter than usual. I suppose," and Draco cleared his throat before continuing, "Longbottom's the best at enhancing the herb factor in the Shultzen Potion."

"I…I found it in a book…that if you add a particular herb with a particular length, and chop up one of the ingredients more finely," added Neville, getting a little excited. "The effects of the Shultzen Potion are enhanced!"

"And Neville…" whispered Hermione, her pale face breaking out into a contented smile. "Does the herb bit the best out of all of us."

"Lighter?" echoed Ron. "How much lighter?"

"It's not just that," said Professor Nell, looking at Hermione and Draco with a smile. "Avada Kedavra is maximised only when the caster expresses great hatred for the one he or she is cursing."

"Which is why I couldn't hex Bellatrix Lestrange the other time at the Ministry properly either," said Harry, as light dawned upon him. "Coupled with the Shultzen Potion, the effect Avada Kedavra had on Hermione was much reduced!"

Draco looked back at Hermione, his eyes shining as it roved over the mass of brown curls that lay spread over the pillow, the fingers that fell lightly into his grip, and finally, the brown eyes that sparkled as they met his silver ones. She gave him a faint smile, and her fingers tapped lightly in his palm. He couldn't help returning an amused look, but one that was absolutely full of relief and pain intertwined at the same time.

"So Professor, you knew?" asked Ginny. "You knew that they would require the use of it when you left Neville behind?"

Professor Dumbledore laughed. "They left a note good enough to be a suicide note! Surely Miss Weasley, you would know that Mr Malfoy did not have the least bit intent to remove Miss Granger from his life, did he?"

Draco's silver eyes were suddenly overshadowed a little by the glowing red tint appearing on his cheeks; Hermione's eyes fluttered slightly, and her smile became a little coy.

Ginny looked at both of them and grinned. "Of course I know."

"I'm just glad you're fine, Hermione," said Harry, smiling.

Hermione lifted her other hand weakly, and Harry moved forward to hold it in his hand. "Thanks Harry, you were really great…I knew you would come."

"Just rather late," added Draco, in a rather sarcastic tone, which earned a reproving look from Hermione, despite how pale and weak she was.

"What about me?" asked Ron, slightly annoyed.

Hermione laughed, a faint, rasping sound. "Silly boy, you too." She let go of Harry's hand and slipped into Ron's. Then she smiled at Ginny as well. "And you, Ginny, because your sacrifice made everything possible."

Ginny blushed, and went even redder when Harry put an awkward arm around her shoulders and gave her a rewarding pat. Ron opened his mouth, but shut it again.

Professor Nell gave Hermione a wink, and she nodded lightly, to show that she was really appreciative of what he had done. Then he signalled for everyone to leave the room, except for Draco. Slowly, they filed out of the Hospital Wing, while Madam Pomfrey bustled back to her office. Before they all left, Pansy turned around to look at Hermione through blurry eyes, almost in a last moment of plea. Hermione paused, before she dipped her head a little, and Pansy's eyes shone so brightly that the happiness extended to her sullen mouth and brought a beautiful smile to the sallow face of Pansy Parkinson.

There was no one else left in the Wing, except…

Draco brought Hermione's other hand into his clasp, and took them to his lips, where he planted a soft, warm kiss. Hermione's eyes shone as she looked into his beautifully sparkling eyes.

"Draco?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm…I'm so thankful."

"For what?" He asked, innocently.

She pulled her hands out of his clasp, then in a very daring move, she put it on his shoulder and slipped her cold palm into his collar, and to the back of his shoulder.

Draco closed his eyes, feeling a trail of goosebumps wherever her fingers had touched. He could feel his body radiating heat, as her cold touch travelled across his skin. She lay her palm on the back of his shoulder, and rubbed back and forth lightly, causing Draco's heart to flutter. _Oh god, she is…she is just so amazing…_

"There's nothing there anymore," she whispered, and Draco realised that she was feeling for his Dark Mark. He could see the glimmer of relief in her eyes, as it translated into beads of tears trickling down her white face. Before she could retrieve her hand from his collar, he pressed his hand against the bump on his shoulder beneath the cloth of his shirt, feeling the cold pressure send a shiver throughout his entire body. Hermione let out a soft gasp, as her fingers gave the smallest of struggles against his grip. She could feel his warm skin beneath her icy fingers, and she almost wanted to feel the heat from every, _every_ part of his skin.

"It's so strange," blurted Draco, in an uncharacteristically fumbling manner, although his hand held hers firmly against his shoulder. "We hated each other so much before…and yet, you risked everything to save me from the Dark Lord…"

"Are you sure I don't hate you now?" asked Hermione, wearily, but with a mischievous glint in her eyes. "You're still so high-and-mighty, snobbish, sarcastic…"

"Why, Hermione," he remained serious as he looked straight into her honey-coloured eyes that seemed to be drawing him towards them. "Why?"

"_Hate the sin, but never the sinner_," quoted Hermione, as she shut her eyes contentedly.

Before she could fully open her eyes, all she could make out was a blur image of the figure before her leaning in to press his lips against hers, eliciting a soft gasp, but only to let the air escape into his mouth as he enveloped her lips. Hermione shut her eyes again, as she gave him all she could in that one long kiss, for the man whom she had tried so hard to save, and was finally on the right track because she never gave up on him. All the past hatred and enmity, were torn apart, shredded into pieces to reveal the bare soul of human emotions…and there was Love, and Passion, that were left to emerge from the debris.


	34. Epilogue

**Disclaimer:** As much as I have left my fic to rot (sadly), I wouldn't dream of making you guys wait far too long between books like Miss Rowling does (haha), so this is my very own work which I am proud to say - **I've FINALLY FINISHED IT!**

**Author's Note:** Okay, as above, this is the last chapter of my first fic, which I know there are inconsistencies (will go back to change some of it, but it wouldn't be very significant anyway), but as it is my virgin attempt at fanfiction, I am already pretty glad for the 100+ reviews which have returned me quite positive feedback! I'm glad I wrote this and you all liked it.

Please please please, all who have come thus far, leave a review of what you think of this story, as a whole, or the ending, anything - just to let me know that you have read my fic (till the end!) and I'm very grateful for the loyal reviewers; apologies for making you guys wait!

And so, please do enjoy, my final chapter :)

* * *

There was the usual hustle and bustle of the festive season, as the ghosts of Hogwarts glided around with ringing bells and contributing to the hearty laughter, while Peeves pretended to sprinkle mistletoe leaves, only to elicit squeals of disgust from random crowds of people when the leaves turned into Dungbombs. Everywhere was a myriad of colours, from the summer mix of red and green, to the winter choice of white and blue. All the Hogwarts students made sure their robes were smoothened down, and to be kept clean at all times with a Temporary Shield (such that the turkey gravy would not spill all over their front) just before attending the annual Christmas Dinner at the Hall.

In the Gryffindor common-room, there was no less cheer, for the bright maroon colour was perfect for a festive hue, and the smiles on everyone's faces lit up the room cheerily. The younger ones ran round the room with coloured sparkles at the tip of their wands, while the older ones walked around giving each other hugs and presents.

Sitting at the corner, were the sixth-years (and a particular fifth-year, of course), all eager to give and receive their Christmas presents. Harry rummaged in a rather large bag to pull out three boxes, and handed them to Ron, Ginny and Hermione respectively. Ron opened his, to reveal a pair of beautiful mittens, and he gaped in sheer delight – Harry knew only too well Ron's old ones had been reduced to a mass of tattered wool. Just as he was gaping, the mittens suddenly danced out of their box and proceeded to pull poor Ron's ears! The sixth-years fell into a heap of mirth watching Ron attempt to pull the mittens from his reddening ears, and glare at a helplessly laughing Harry at the same time.

Ginny was next, and she gingerly peeled off the wrapping paper, her fingers trembling in anticipation. Harry watched her, with equally anticipating eyes searching for the look in her green ones. Finally, she pulled out a beautiful aquamarine-coloured box, and she opened it to reveal a lovely pendant – a soft lilac-tinged crystal at the centre of it all. Harry reached over and took it out, amidst everyone's giggles, putting it around Ginny's neck without a word. Ron gave a rather low cough, Hermione smiled, and the rest of them grinned. Ginny's freckled cheeks turned pink as she fingered the crystal, trying hard not to show her utmost exhilaration at receiving this sweet gesture. Then Seamus and Dean could not help bursting into laughter all over again watching Harry and Ginny turn red, infecting everyone else again, including Ron.

Hermione, after trying hard not to choke from all that laughter, carefully opened Harry's present. Harry couldn't help being pleased seeing a glow of red overtake her cheeks, which had been tinged with a pale look ever since she had been discharged from the Hospital Wing.

Ginny stopped fingering her crystal and tried not to laugh at seeing the present.

"Harry, you gave Hermione _chicklit_?" Lavender asked in complete amusement, holding up the pink-covered book. "You gave our smart-aleck Hermione _chicklit_?"

"What's chicklit?" asked Ron, perplexed. "It's not about chickens!"

There was a collective groan from the young wizards and witches who had Muggle background (and even those who were pureblood!). Parvati shook her head. "Ron, to think that your father is…"

"I don't meddle with my father's stuff," retorted Ron, still a bit sore from the mittens' dance. He took the book from Hermione, and flipped through it a bit. "Oh gross, Harry, of all things!"

Harry grinned, and looked at Hermione, who was smiling shyly as she took back the book, and knew he had not made a wrong choice at all.

Just before leaving the common-room, Hermione ran upstairs to her dormitory. She curled her hair a little bit more, before reaching over to her side-table to pick up a beautifully wrapped present. She smoothened the wrapping paper with her thumb gingerly, and looked at the mirror in front of her.

He would love it.

"Good evening, m'lady, it is a pleasure to see you all well again!" announced Nearly Headless Nick heartily, bowing as he led the way into the Hall for Hermione. She gave a little curtsey in response, smiled warmly, and walked into a sea of black robes given a tinge of gold by the warm lights of the shining chandeliers floating above. It had been a long time since she last stepped into the Hall. Hermione could not help remembering, as she made her way to the Gryffindor table, the last time she was here, she had been so troubled. And now, there was only relief and happiness washing over her.

"Hermione, what took you so long?" demanded Ron. "We nearly didn't manage to get the front seats!"

"Who are you trying to ogle at again, Ron?" asked Hermione, rather amused as she took her place beside him. "Professor McGonagall?"

Ron nearly retorted back in complete horror, but Harry winked at Hermione. "He's never going to give up on Madam Rosmerta, _honestly_…"

There was a shout of laughter, and Ron proceeded to somehow pummel Harry with his legs, whilst Hermione could not help grinning despite a reproving look. It was so good to be back with them again, and not having to worry about anything else.

_Worry?_ She could not help looking beyond Harry to cast a glance at the Slytherin table at the far end.

Her eyes scanned from left to right. Mm? Where was he?

"Looking for someone?" asked Ron, rather nonchalantly.

"Eh…" Hermione tried not to be obvious. "I…"

"Hermione, you can _never_ hide anything from us," grinned Harry. "Maybe he's fussing over his hair or something. Must have been mussed up running around too often lately; the distance between our common-rooms is kind of, you know, far…" and Hermione stuck out her tongue and kicked him, causing a groan to ensue. "Very funny, Harry."

"Boys and girls."

The hustle and bustle of the Hall suddenly simmered down, and everyone scattered back into their seats. Hermione tilted her head left to see across the tables, but he wasn't there. _Where could he be?_

_Draco, where are you?_

"Boys and girls," announced a beaming Professor Dumbledore, who had taken centrestage and had a very wise look on his face at the same time. "It has been a very pleasant year, for most of us," he scanned across the Hall and winked at the eager Gryffindors. "And it is a great pleasure to end this year on a festive note as well. I hope that you all will have a very merry Christmas, and enjoy yourselves after this long term."

There was resounding applause throughout the Hall, but it only served to intensify the loud beating of Hermione's heart. _Oh, where are you!_

"As tradition dictates, before we tuck into the great feast, I will announce the new Head Boy and Head Girl for the next year. Our Heads are to be very responsible, very conscientious, and extremely respected figures to set a good example to all. I hope that they will bear the honour to lead Hogwarts as something close to their hearts, and that they will serve us with passion, fervour and integrity."

There were excited whispers now, and everyone was eagerly awaiting the announcement of the Heads. Hermione was somehow not very attentive anymore. She managed to catch Pansy's eye across the tables, but Pansy shook her head in slight surprise at the empty seat beside her. Hermione was beginning to worry very badly. _Oh you dratted ferret, can't you hear me?_

"Our Head Girl for the new year, is – Hermione Granger of Gryffindor House!"

Before Professor Dumbledore had proceeded to the word "Gryffindor", the scarlet colours on the left of the Hall suddenly broke out into a raucous cheer, deafening everyone. Hands, arms were reaching out to a dazed Hermione to congratulate her, and Harry and Ron were shouting "Yes! Yes! Yes!" in complete glee. Hermione stood up, a little shakily, and made her way to the front. Professor Dumbledore smiled, and pinned the Head Girl badge on her robes. Hermione stared at it, her heart suddenly feeling a slight twinge of pain that somebody was not watching her receive the honour she had coveted for so long.

"Hermione Granger has achieved consistently stellar results throughout her term as a Hogwarts student, winning praise from all her tutors and peers (at this point, the sour Slytherin House pupils pursed up their lips, possibly also angry that their beloved housemaster was no longer at the front of the table as well) and exemplifying the true courage of a Gryffindor. Surely, we are all aware of the various acts of chivalry that Hermione and her friends have performed, and she is an incredibly brave and wonderful girl who I have complete faith in doing a wonderful job as Head Girl," finished Dumbledore, and Hermione could have cried with joy and gratitude at such a marvellous testimonial. Harry and Ron clapped so hard, that their palms turned red, and the entire Gryffindor cohort stood up to give Hermione a rousing standing ovation, followed by the Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws. Hermione gasped, and tears were rolling down her cheeks in her sheer pleasure.

"Thank you," she whispered, and suddenly, a wave of emptiness overtook her. She bit her lip a little, managed a thin smile, and stepped back. _He was not here to see me._

"And now, I would like to announce the Head Boy."

It has to be Harry, thought Hermione, managing a smile at her elated best friend. He's been through so much, and it'll be nice to see him gain some honour for that. Life must be really tough for him too. Although…

"This boy has been equally remarkable in his career at Hogwarts; studies, Quidditch, everything. He has managed to gain (at this point, Hermione detected a little hesitance on the part of Dumbledore) respect from his peers, and is truly a chivalrous and sturdy man who has a fiery passion. I am equally certain that this chosen boy will be a great partner to Miss Granger, and do an excellent job for us all."

There was bated breath, and many eyes were on a suddenly red-cheeked Harry.

"Please, Mr Draco Malfoy, would you like to enter?"

The Hall door swung open.

Hermione gasped. _What are you doing there!_

_I needed some grand entrance; couldn't miss that, could I?_ The familiar smirking voice came resounding through her head, and there, before her eyes, was the silvery blonde, green-eyed boy walking towards her. He strode past the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw tables, completely oblivious (or perhaps secretly enjoying) the hundreds of eyes set upon him. Harry's surprised eyes turned into those of recognition, and a smile hung at the edge of his lips. Ginny, turning back to see Harry's expression, smiled as well, knowing fully well that he understood and was going to be a perfect gentleman about it.

"I present to you," said Professor Dumbledore, as Draco walked to stop in front of him. "Our new Head Boy – Draco Malfoy."

There was a pause of silence as Professor Dumbledore pinned on the Head Boy badge, and Draco turned around to face the silent crowd with a fiercely determined look on his face, with a slight tinge of defiance. The Slytherins, too, were a little taken aback by his sudden entrance that they forgot to clap. The silence was so deafening, and so starkly different from the hullabaloo created at Hermione's investiture.

Then, at that moment, a small bit of clapping came sounding from behind Draco. He turned around and saw Hermione clapping, with tears in her eyes shining at him. A steady, determined beat, ringing out loud in the silent hull of the Hall. Draco's eyes shone as well, and his defiance faded away.

Then, from the left, Harry's clapping joined in, a fierce stream of clapping, a firm display of sportsmanship. Ginny's one came in, much faster, a joint appreciation of both Harry and Draco's spirit. Ron couldn't bear to be left out, and he took a deep breath and joined in the clapping. From the other side of the hall, Pansy felt the tears take to her eyes as she put her hands together. Blaise Zabini could not help but join in, and soon the rest of the Slytherins were clapping hard, and the Gryffindors…one by one, they stood up to clap for the newly invested Head Boy and Girl, with the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs standing up as well. The cheering came soon after, and suddenly, with a loud burst of energy, the whole Hall was cheering loudly and resolutely for their new Heads. Professor Dumbledore looked back at Professor McGonagall, and Professor Nell, and the rest of the staff, before looking back out with a satisfied beam, nodding his head. Eventually, all the students ignored the feast before them, and started to get out of their seats to walk around and chatter excitedly.

Backing away from the crowd of people, Draco stepped back from the front, and walked up to Hermione, who was still clapping for him. He took her hands gently into his, and looked into her hazel eyes very deeply till she blushed.

"Where did you go, you horrid boy," mused Hermione, trying to sound annoyed.

"I forgot something," he said, simply.

"What?"

He reached into his robes and pulled out a small wrapped present. "Merry Christmas. Been a while since I said that to anyone, really."

The way he said it was not icy cold like before, and Hermione took it. "Open it."

"No, wait," said Hermione, and pulled out her own present. "There. Open yours first, will you?"

Draco was a little taken aback, but secretly pleased, considering that he hardly got any presents during Christmas. He opened the wrapping a little roughly, but yet ensuring that the paper did not tear.

"Oh – wow."

It was a crystallised Snitch fluttering within a crystal box, and it caught on the lights floating above, displaying a beautiful iridescent of colours within. Draco stared at it, placed it against the lights, and then in front of him, mesmerised. "It's…beautiful."

Hermione blushed again.

"Now, open yours, will you," he urged.

Her fingers fumbled lightly on the wrapping paper, but soon, she had the present staring at her straight in the face. It was a small book, without any title. She was quite surprised as she lifted the cover, then the creamy pages that followed after soon put a smile on her face. _How did you know?_

Draco shrugged. "A girl like you has too much space in her brain for her work, she probably needs somewhere else to put the extra memory, so I thought you'd like a diary. And do read the first few pages. It's got something on it."

"Thank you, Draco," whispered Hermione.

They stared at their presents for a while, then finally looked up at each other. There was a slight silence, a little awkward.

"You're such a prat, Malfoy," said Hermione in a shy voice, rather instinctively, and burst out laughing. "_Such_ a prat!"

"Oh bloody Granger, stop being namby-pamby," groaned Draco, and with one arm, he swiftly pulled Hermione towards him and kissed her, long and sweetly.

"_Dear Diary,_

_After this entry, you will officially belong to Hermione Jane Granger, but do let me say a few words before I hand ownership of you to her. _

_It's been pretty sucky in the past, I haven't had a soul to ramble to about all my stupid problems. Life was hell, Father always made me do things against my will, just like making me become a Death-Eater. I don't think I'm feeling very sorry that he's gone now, it's just that my mother has sunk into depression for quite a while, and has yet to recover. I'm quite worried, I shall go home to her soon. I'll bring Hermione along too, probably, I hope everything will be okay. I'm just glad that creep is gone. I hated acting all this while just to fool him, but if it could save everyone, I'm just glad we did it. Now I've realised how superficial I've been, always acting to others that I'm the big Slytherin Prince and that everyone must obey me. Then I should have been happy to be head of the Junior Death-Eaters. No, I was just a deprived soul, stripped bare in front of my father who could see me through all my layers. So acting made me feel good that I could present somebody who was not me to others. Nobody would see my vulnerabilities._

_But she did._

_She saw my flaws, all laid out bare for her, just like for my father. She saw how weak I was, succumbing to my father and the Dark Lord, doing dirty deeds when I hated to do so. She made me despise myself for acting like a foolish boy instead of being a powerful man. How I hated to be in the dungeons with her for those few hours, pretending to hate her, just for the sake of the Dark Lord – oh why am I still calling him that – that bloody Voldemort. Pretending to torture her when all I wanted was for her to unbind her hands and reach out to hold me, because I was scared, yes, Draco Malfoy was scared to death. Having to kill her in front of everyone and praying hard that the curse would not work. I was a real coward, and she dispelled all my layers away from me. Yet, I'm not a coward in front of her. She gives me the courage to do so many things, go through the challenges to get the Chroker Eye, go through the intricate plan she laid out, kill Voldemort at the very end, everything. Maybe even forgiving Potter and Weasley was a challenge too. I am myself, Draco Malfoy, in front of her, not the swaggering bastard who thought the world was not enough for him. _

_I always wondered why we had this telepathic thing, how we could always connect with each other. Nobody really knew, not even Dumbledore. So I tried reading up. There isn't much in Magic theory that I could find, because telepathy really works only if you have that ability, which we obviously do not have with other people. What I did find out was, according to Muggle theory, that there is a sixth sense in a human being, called the Extra Sensory Perception, or ESP. Supposedly, that helps you to detect emotions perhaps? Something like an instinct. And perhaps, this instinctive ability to connect her bridges Magic and Muggle theories together, just like it has brought us together, I guess. What was initially so infuriating for me, has become a lifeline._

_I shall not take up too much space, for the future owner will need plenty to document her thoughts, which I'm sure she has a lot of, given that mighty brain of hers. _

_She's amazing._

_I love you, Hermione, really._

_Draco Malfoy."_

**FINE.**

I hope it wasn't too cliched an ending, but I did try to do something a little different from usual DH fics. :) Drop a note or something yeah? Thanks for wading through my fic, I really appreciated it!

elektra30


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